Following the controversial governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state, there are tensions on what the outcome of the party’s Election Appeal Committee would be. The chances of the APC in the November 26 gubernatorial election would be affected by the report of the committee.

Two major contenders for the party’s governorship ticket, Olusegun Abraham and Olusola Oke, have expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the governorship primary that produced Rotimi Akeredolu as winner. The duo have submitted their petitions to the appeal committee, urging it to cancel the election over perceived irregularities.

Prior to the primary election which held on September 3, 2016, the APC National Working Committee had set up an Election Appeal Committee with the following members: Helen Bendega (Chairman), Musa Umar (Secretary) and Nikky Ejezie. According to reports, the committee will make its report public very soon.

Going by the election timeline released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the last day for the submission of nomination forms by political parties is October 12. The APC has less than a month to address all the issues surrounding its primary election and present the final flag bearer of the party.

There are two possible outcomes of the appeal committee’s ruling: the primary election may be upheld due to lack of enough evidence by petitioners, or it may be cancelled if the National Working Committee of the party finds out that the allegations have been accurately verified by the appeal committee. Abraham and Oke are hoping for the latter, they want a fresh primaries conducted.

Since Akeredolu was announced the winner of the APC governorship primary, his campaign has not has not stepped up, unlike that of his counterpart, Eyitayo Jegede from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Perhaps, he knows his emergence is shaky, since a powerful section of his party national leadership did not support his candidacy in the first place.

On Monday, Akeredolu featured an article published by ThisDay on his campaign’s Facebook page. “The unfortunate thing about the Ondo exercise or the very reason there is so much going on against the emergence of Akeredolu was because the grounds had been prepared for a particular candidate to emerge against all odds, but the result favoured someone else. QED! In other words, because the expectation of some people was not met since they are subtly laying ownership to the party, the process was flawed, else, it must be their way,” the article reads.

Just as Akeredolu seeks a favourable end to the petition that challenges his election, his closest rival, Olusegun Abraham, has refused to relent in assuring his supporters that he will bounce back. There are also reports that the aspirant who came third in the primaries, Olusola Oke, is already negotiating with another political party to endorse him as its governorship candidate for the November 26 poll.

If Oke leaves the party, the chances of the APC accruing reasonable votes from the southern part of Ondo state will be minimal. Over time, Olusola Oke has proven influential to the votes that come from that part of the state. During the last governorship election in the state, Oke’s impressive outing helped the PDP end up as the first runner-up. APC will need him to deliver his senatorial district this time.

As it stands, none of the three major aspirants has a significant advantage over the other. The earlier primary election was keenly contested, albeit with unpleasant reports. Allowing for a fresh primary election will be a litmus test for the credibility of the initial, and a means to address the concerns of aggrieved party members.

If the APC wishes to give the state’s ruling party, the PDP, a run for its money come November, the highly anticipated report of the Election Appeal Committee must be credible. Ultimately, the party’s eventual flag bearer should be a product of a free and fair democratic process.