A member of the House of Representatives representing Akure North/South federal constituency, Prince Abiodun Adesida, said the consensus arrangement failed in Ondo State because the aspirants were not involved in the choice of the consensus candidate.
Already, six aspirants have obtained All Progressives Congress (APC) forms to contest the Akure North/South federal constituency despite the choice of Hon Wumi Edet as the consensus candidate.
Those who have obtained the forms include Adesida, a two-term member of the National Assembly, and Hon. Femi Fadairo, among others.
Several aspirants have also obtained APC in virtually all the federal and state constituencies in the state, contrary to the consensus announced by the leadership of the party.
In Ondo North, Senator Jide Ipinsagba and Abdul Tunji Mohammed have obtained senatorial forms. In Ondo South senatorial district, Hon Mayowa Akinfolarin, former Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi, and the National Vice Chairman of the party, Hon Duerimini Isaacs Kekemeke, have obtained forms for the primary.
Explaining why the consensus arrangement failed, Adesida said the idea of consensus introduced in the Electoral Act was not for the governor or leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose candidates on the party, but to build consensus on those seeking elective positions within the party.
Speaking when he was presented with expression of interest and nomination forms by those he had secured appointments for as a federal lawmaker between 2007 and 2011, Adesida said he would participate in direct primaries to be organised by the leader of the party.
Adesida said the best form of choosing candidates for any political party is a direct primary as it would allow all members of the party to participate in the selection process, unlike when money bags camp delegates and manipulate them during the primaries.
According to him, consensus would only work when all the aspirants who have obtained forms agreed on a candidate and not when a governor or some leaders sat at a place and announced a consensus candidate.
He said, “Consensus works when everybody agrees. So if only one person, if there is a dissident, just one person, then it can’t work, there cannot be a consensus.
“Even the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, whom everybody is endorsing in Lagos, it is not even a consensus; he still has to go through the primary.
“I am part of the system that enacted the bill that was signed into law by Mr President. In the United States, even in advanced countries, they do direct primaries.
“It is like general elections. For example, in America, they are doing their primaries, and everybody goes to the polls, especially party members. They call them delegates. They go and vote for whoever will represent them, so I think it’s better than indirect.”
Adesida expressed confidence in securing the ticket of the APC as he has impacted positively on the constituency both in the first and second term in office.
He said empowerment is not only giving rice and money to constituents but giving them employment that would help the family for life. The two-term lawmaker also expressed gratitude to members of his constituents who purchased expression and nomination forms for him.
He promised not to disappoint them if given the mandate to represent them again and the House of Representatives Speaking on behalf of the youth who purchased the forms, Seyi Ogundipe said they believed in the principles of good governance and not giving tokens during empowerment programmes.
He added, “We believe in the principle of good governance. It is on this parameter that some of the persons that have benefited from the good gesture of Hon Abiodun Adesida came together, we decided to come together to gather our stipends together to actually purchase these nomination forms.”
