The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has faulted a statement by one of its chieftain, Olusegun Abraham, that the party’s popularity in the state is low.
Also, a group within the APC in Ondo State, Abraham Support Forum (ASF), yesterday passed a vote-of-confidence in the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Olusegun Abraham.
In a communique after its meeting in Akure, the capital, by its Director-General, Kunle Eko-Davies, ASF acknowledged the contribution of Mr Isaac Kekemeke to the growth of APC in the state.
It said: “Initially, APC was not on the ground in Ondo State; it was its Chairman, Isaac Kekemeke, who brought the party into limelight in the state and produced two of the three senators, five of nine House of Representatives (members) against the then powerful Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) regime.
“He delivered the governorship seat for APC 14 years after being in the opposition. Kekemeke’s popularity, coupled with love and hard work of Chief Segun Abraham and our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, put APC in the forefront in the state.”
A counter-statement by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said: “No doubt Dr. Abraham has lost touch with the happenings in the party, hence his erroneous declaration that the party’s popularity has nosedived.”
APC noted that Abraham, who it said could not win his constituency during the widely adjudged best free and fair party’s primary, allowed his poor spirit of sportsmanship to undermine his reasoning, thereby reeling out statistics that could only be likened to comedy of errors.
The statement reads: “Even those with hearing defects could hear about the ongoing development in our party as members of various political parties are defecting to our party in their droves on weekly basis.
“He must have forgotten history: candidates in our party rode on the credibility of Present Muhammadu Buhari, which saw them to victory during the elections.
“Ascribing the victory of the party at the polls to Isaac Kekemeke and Abraham himself was as good as standing history on its head. Kekemeke, the then chairman of the party, was not popular to the point of winning people’s support for the party…”