From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
The Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, has appealed to members and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State to ensure a peaceful primary that is devoid of violence and bloodshed, stressing that it is the only way the party can help itself to retain power in the state.
Ojudu also called on the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker executive to conduct a free, fair, credible primary that can produce the right candidate that will be able to confront candidates from other parties and win the June 18 governorship poll.
Ojudu made the appeal on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti, when he was interacting with newsmen on the APC primary to hold on January 27.
“I want to appeal to party men to be civil and peaceful. The only glory we can record in our party is to be peaceful and for our leaders from Abuja to conduct a primary we can all be proud of. Don’t let us be violent just because of the internal election.
“Primary of any party should be a day of celebration of democracy and not a day of bloodshed. We should be able to do this election without rancour. I am of the belief that politicians who want to use money to hire thugs to win elections should rather use such money for the development of our unemployed youths.
“Our party officials should be fair and transparent. They should also be efficient with the process.
“I commend Governor Buni-led executive for allowing direct primary for this election, so that every member of the party, either rich or poor, high or low can participate. This will enable us to produce a candidate that can face the candidates of other parties.
“If by any means we impose someone or throw up someone who uses money to induce the people, or relying on federal might, we will have a candidate that cannot win or that wouldn’t be acceptable to the party people.
“Let me clarify that this government of President Muhammadu Buhari doesn’t believe in using federal might to win elections, you have to go through the people to get votes.”
On the aspirant he is supporting in the party for the primary, Ojudu said: “For now, I am not in support of anybody. I want to remain neutral so that I will be able to call all aspirants together and settle their differences after the primary.
“Losing an election is hurting, so we need an arbiter to be able to hold the party together and that is the role I intend to play.
“President Muhammadu Buhari lost election three times. Nobody thought he would ever be President again, but when the time God assigned to him came, he won and it was glorious for him. There is no point bringing guns to win elections.”
The presidential aide warned aspirants against the use of thugs to beat anyone, saying everyone in the party is useful in winning the June poll.
“The aspirants shouldn’t bring thugs to bash and beat the people. Whoever is causing trouble should be exposed, because Ekiti must be in peace. All of us in APC must be able to come together and work to win in June. This is one election that we can’t afford to lose.”
Ojudu told aspirants to shun vote-buying saying leaders who emerge through such means care less about the people.
“When any leader buys votes to win elections, such leader wouldn’t care about the people, because he would have the impression that he had paid for the votes cast for him by the electorate.”
He also urged security agencies to be neutral and not work for any of the aspirants.
“The security agencies should also be neutral. They must not work for any aspirant. They should owe their allegiance to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and their code of conduct as officers of the law. Through this, whoever wins will be that democracy has won.”
