Akeredolu: Tinubu has accepted Ondo primary and moved on

Rotimi Akeredolu, governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 26 Ondo election, says his rift with Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party, is over.

Tinubu had criticised the process through which Akeredolu got the party’s ticket, and had rejected his candidature.

But speaking with state house correspondents after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, the politician said he had no rift with Tinubu.

He also said he was confident he would win the election.

“l can always tell you, people who know me, they know that I talk most times with some confidence. Let me assure you here that by the grace of God, we will win the election in Ondo state,” he said.

“I don’t have any rift with him. Since the primary, you would see that he has not said anything about it. He has accepted the primary and we are moving on. So, I don’t have any rift with him at all and we are moving on.”

“I can assure you I would have been happier facing both of them together. If Eyitayo Jegede was chosen as candidate and Ibrahim as his deputy, I will still win. In fact, Jegede happens to be a friend, Ibrahim too. Jimoh Ibrahim went to Ife. So, we have known ourselves for long. I have no fear about both of them. We know that we are going to win this election and I have no doubt.”

Earlier, Simon Lalong, Plateau state governor and chairman APC campaign committee, told journalists that Akeredolu had been he formally presented to Buhari as the party’s governorship candidate in Ondo.

He said the APC would win the election as it did in Kogi and Edo states.

“A few weeks ago, I was given the responsibility of leading the campaign on behalf of the national executive for the Ondo election,” he said.

“And the candidate since election at the primary has not come to be presented to the leader of our party – that is Mr President. So, today we came in with the candidate and to confirm to the president that APC has only one candidate unlike other parties that are fighting about who is their candidate. We have only one candidate and that candidate is Chief Akeredolu Rotimi (SAN).”