|By Chris Chimezie
Former Senatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Northern Senatorial District of Ondo State, Dr Tunji Abayomi, who has defected to Action Alliance (AA) has reiterated his unflinching support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term in office.
Abayomi made the disclosure while speaking with Government House Correspondents at the Governor’s office in Akure on his next move to represent his people at the upper chamber, having being denied a ticket by the ruling APC.
Abayomi, who is the Chairman of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), maintained that the President had replaced leadership betrayals who were once preoccupied by corruption and personal interest.
“The Buhari-led admnistration is responsive to protecting public wealth and I will always support him because in the history of this nation, Nigeria has failed in one of its most troubling neurosis which is the issue of corruption.
“Ours is a nation that ought to be on top of the world advancement, but rather it is below due to corruption and leadership betrayal, as their pre-occupation is to siphon the wealth of the nation for their personal interests.
“Buhari represents the expectations of the common man for a responsible, moral and ethical leadership as well as disciplins,” he said.
Describing the government of APC under Adams Oshiomhole as a reign of error, Abayomi implored Buhari and other APC stalwarts to address the disorder before other members would exit the party.
“In the case of APC led by Oshiomhole, he appeared not to believe that the people exist at all or have a say and that is the source of the disappointment and disagreement which makes it increasingly difficult to continue in such direction.
“I must contest for Senate, because the decision of the leadership of the party has injured my right to be nominated by my people to contest for Senate.
“I purchased the form, screened, campaigned and did everything as required by the APC Constitution, but the leadership unjustly, unfairly, illegally and unconstitutionally went against many of us and thwarted our ambitions”, he stated.
Lamenting further, he said the party’s Constitution is very clear and states that a candidate can only emerge through a primary election and also established the type of the primary election in section 20 of same Constitution which states that it is either “Direct or Indirect”.
“In the Constitution, there is no room for automatic ticket and all the powers ascribed to the National Working Committee (NWC) by the Chairman simply does not exist.
“The NWC is only allowed to make recommendations with regard to rules and to guide elections. No NWC under APC Constitution is allowed to determine the nature of Primary, who would run, who would be screened out or screened in”, he said.
Abayomi described the APC as a political party suffering from a self-imposed injury brought upon by the Oshiomhole-led leadership that is far more pre-occupied with the barge of office, rather than the burden of his commission.
“If we have a political head who has failed to understand the Constitution of the party which is actually the social contract between the members and the leadership of that party, then, where do we go?, he queried.
“I have planned to run under Action Alliance (AA) because Oshiomhole has illegally and unconstitutionally blocked the right of my people to nominate me and handed the automatic tickets to his own candidate.
“The people of Ondo State especially in the Northern Senatorial District will have their own candidate. This simply implies that the automatic candidate of Oshiomole will run against the preferred candidate of the people of the Northern zone and the decision would be taken by the electorate”, he concluded.
