Ondo Election: Buhari Endorses Akeredolu, Says APC Will Win Fairly

President Muhammadu Buhari endorses Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as the APC candidate in the Ondo State governorship election in Abuja on September 4, 2020.

President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.

He gave his approval on Friday when he met with the governor who visited him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

While the meeting was ongoing, President Buhari presented the APC flag to Governor Akeredolu, as a sign of his endorsement.

He urged members of the ruling party to work diligently and ensure fairness in electoral processes, in their bid to return the APC’s governorship candidate for a second term in office.

The President noted that the reconciliation process in the state branch of the party had provided a solid ground for an easier clear victory for the candidate than he achieved in his first term.

He assured Governor Akeredolu of the party’s full support but stressed that a peaceful and fair election that reflects the will of the people must be uppermost.

L-R: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor Mai Mala Buni, President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, and Governor Simon Lalong at the State House in Abuja on September 4, 2020.

President Buhari also urged party supporters not to get carried away with the election at a time when the country was fighting COVID-19 and adhere to the regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He described the party’s mechanism for resolving differences among aggrieved members as most effective.

The President also stated that the mechanism would be sustained to strengthen relationships and project the objectives of the APC as people-focused and development-oriented.

Governor Akeredolu was presented to the President by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, who is also the governor of Yobe State.

The meeting also had in attendance Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Plateau State counterpart, Governor Simon Lalong, who respectively serve as the chairman and deputy chairman of the party’s National Campaign Council for the Ondo State Governorship Election.

INEC had fixed October 10 to conduct the governorship election across the wards in all local government areas of the state.