A group of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has stressed the need for the party to ensure that its candidate for the vacant Akoko North-West and North-East Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, comes from Arigidi-Akoko.
The group, comprising
women, youths and APC members, gathered in Arigidi-Akoko to express the need for Akoko North-West Local Government Area, which produced the former representative to retain the seat.
The seat, which is usually rotated between Akoko Norh-East and Akoko North-West, became vacant, following the appointment of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as the Minister of Interior by President Bola Tinubu.
The by-election into the vacant House of Representatives seat, will soon be conducted in the Constituency.
The group, through its leader and APC Women Leader in Akoko North-West, Simbiat Ajana, claimed that, “with the resignation of Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, who hails from Akoko North-West Local Government Area, another indigene of the area should be supported by APC to occupy the vacant seat’.
She explained that, “Akoko North-East has produced a Senator, Jide Ipinsagba, an APC member who presently represents Ondo North Senatorial District in the Senate; therefore, it would be extremely unfair, if the local government area produces the members for both the House of Representatives and the Senate”.
The group believes that the Governor, Arakunrin Olurotimi Akeredolu, who is also from Ondo North Senatorial District, is usually fair and won’t allow Arigidi-Akoko to be sidelined, as it is long overdue for the community to produce a House of Representatives member, who will represent Akoko North-East and North-West in the National Assembly.
They also claim that, Arigidi community has always been supporters of the Governor, whom the people of Arigidi-Akoko overwhelmingly voted for in the 2013 Governorship Election in the state, against Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party.
Arakunrin Akeredolu contested the State Governorship election then, under the banner of the Action Congress of Nigeria, but lost to Mimiko.
They enjoined the Governor to ensure that fair play is generally maintained in the political terrain in the state.