The Ondo State Government has denied reports that the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamaye, led aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to protest against the party’s candidates list for senatorial and House of Representatives.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, made the denial on Thursday while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Ajanaku said: “The Commissioner for Women Affairs did not speak anything against the party. I think it was the women that protested in Ondo State.
“The Commissioner for Women Affairs was to receive them and assure them that whatever information they have will be communicated to the leadership of the party.”
“She did not speak against the party. The fact that she came out to receive the information showed to me that she has nothing to hide,” he said.
Thefrontrank reports that Ajanaku’s claim is a departure from what happened on Monday during protest over alleged imposition of candidates for the national assembly by women and youth leaders in the state chapter of APC.
The protesters were carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “Let our vote count”, “We say no to imposition”, “We say no to corner corner”, “APC NWC, let our vote count”, among others.
The protest halted vehicular movement on the busy Ilesha-Akure-Benin expressway.
Addressing journalists during the protest, Osamaye said the women were dissatisfied with what she described as a list that did not reflect the outcome of the party’s primaries.
“We, the women of Ondo State who are members of the APC, have come out to express our displeasure with the fake list being circulated. We consider it fake because it does not reflect the mandate of the people.
“It is a peaceful protest. We say no to ‘mago-mago’ appeal. We say no to fake appeal. We say no to corner-corner appeal. People’s votes should count,” she added.
Osamaye said the women voted in all 203 wards across the state and expected the published list of candidates to reflect the mandate freely given by party members.
