The Ondo Elite Group on Friday warned against attempts to tamper with the political structure in Ondo State, stressing that it could have dire consequences for the party ahead of the November 16 governorship election.
The socio-political group disclosed that tension is gradually brewing within the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, due to a purported plot by certain factions to oust and replace the current party leadership in the state to favour their preferred candidate in the upcoming poll.
While expressing its concern over the development, the group, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Yemi Oladiran, urged the new governor of the state, Lucky Ayedatiwa, to prioritise unity and inclusivity among party stakeholders.
The group, which cautioned against any interference in the internal affairs of the party, stressed that those scheming to dissolve the APC executive lacked the power to execute such a plot.
According to Oladiran, such actions would not only breed division within the party but also undermine its chances of victory in the forthcoming governorship election.
He maintained that a repeat of the setbacks suffered by the party in Zamfara in the last general election must be avoided in Ondo State.
The group also warned against creating a crisis where there is none, urging the state governor to unite the party in order not to lose the state to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the polls.
Part of the statement reads: “Dissolving the state executive of the party will negate the agreement Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa signed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the crisis that engulfed the state over the friction between late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Ayedatiwa.
“What we are guiding against is the repeat of what happened in Zamfara and we cannot allow this to happen in Ondo State because we play the game by the rules and guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“No one can truncate a moving train that is moving at a speed of development, like the one we are having in Ondo. The understanding between the executive members of the Ondo APC and the government is cordial and we should go into this election as one family.
“We’re proud of the leadership of the state chairman, Ade Adetimehin. He has been able to stabilise the party since he became the chairman of the party.”
