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Ondo APC Issues Code Of Conduct Guiding Aspirants Ahead Of Party's Primary Election

The race for the APC ticket has resulted in violent clashes, verbal attacks and internal political jealousy among aspirants ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the State.

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State is set to issue a code of conduct and regulation to aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket ahead of its primary election, SaharaReporters can authoritatively report.

This code of conduct and regulation is to help resolve issues that may arise before, during, and after the conduct of the primary poll to be held between August and September, 2016 when the party’s candidate will be chosen.  

Our correspondent gathered on Wednesday from party leaders that the idea of these regulations was conceived among members of the State Executive Council (SEC) at a meeting held at the party’s State secretariat in Akure, the State capital.

The race for the APC ticket has resulted in violent clashes, verbal attacks and internal political jealousy among aspirants ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the State.

A SaharaReporters investigation in the past weeks revealed that some of these aspirants employed the services of “unemployed” young graduates to stage attacks on political enemies and opponents on social media using pseudonyms.

Sources among the leaders of the party disclosed that the new code of conduct would help avoid many of these unnecessary clashes and feuds among the aspirants.

“The code of conduct and regulation is to help the party regulate our aspirants and some influential members ahead of the primary elections as the electioneering draws nearer.

“Our own is based on internal regulations to avoid consistent clashes and issues among aspirants visiting various wards and local government areas in the State to solicit support from delegates,” one of the sources said. 

SaharaReporters gathered that a meeting called for Thursday by the State Executive Council (SEC) to further unite all these aspirants and issue the code of conduct for them has been postponed till Monday.

The spokesperson of the opposition party, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya, told a SaharaReporters correspondent in a phone conversation that the code of conduct was not meant to push out members who newly defected to the party after the presidential election, as has been rumored in the State. 

“These ideas are not meant to block those who newly joined the party but to regulate all these aspirants because we need more hands to turn things around.

“This would also promote unity of purpose and regulate their [aspirants] conduct at the State level to caution against intra-party issues that may arise during and after the poll,” he said.

Mr. Adesanya added that the national leaders of the party are yet to issue any guideline regarding the conduct of the party’s primary election.

SaharaReporters gathered from another source in the party that many of the aspirants have been taxed a developmental fee of N2m as part of the criteria for the screening.

“Anybody aiming to run on the party’s ticket must show that he or she is a financial contributor to the party.

“This money is used to run the party’s secretariat and is sent to all the wards and local government offices of the party,” the source disclosed.

The source further explained that the party must further develop its financial base.

“We have a way of generating funds within ourselves for the development of the party through the membership contribution.

“Members at the ward level pay N50 monthly and some at the local government level pay N5,00 although it’s not compulsory but it would be asked one day when you seek a party position,” he said.

It was reliably gathered that the party has penned the nomination form for the aspirants N5m and the intention fee for N500,000 as required from the party's national secretariat.

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