Ministerial nomination tears Ondo APC apart

The choice of Prof. Omoyele Daramola as the ministerial nominee representing Ondo State has thrown the All Progressives Congress (APC) into crisis in the state.
Daramola was believed to have been nominated by the APC former national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and the Senator representing Ondo north in the National Assembly, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice.
‎A faction of the state executive committee, however, last weekend, expressed reservation over the choice of Daramola.
A statement, signed by the Party’s Secretary, Raman Rotimi, and Youth Leader, Babalayo Olutayo, said the state chapter would forward its position on the ministerial nomination to the party’s southwest leaders for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari.
But the statement acknowledged the prerogative of President Buhari to appoint a minister for the state.
The faction also suspended the Publicity Secretary, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya, for supporting the nomination of Daramola.
Adesanya had issued a statement hailing President Buhari for nominating Daramola as a minister from the state.
The decision to suspend Adesanya was taken at the state working committee meeting on Thursday, where chairman of the party, Isaac Kekemeke, made a strong case for the suspension.
Sources at the meeting disclosed that Kekemeke said Adesanya’s reaction was contrary to the stand of the Party on the nomination of Daramola.
The sources disclosed that Kekemeke was disappointed that he was not nominated by the President.
It was gathered that the chairman was at Abuja for over one month lobbying to become the minister from the state.
It was gathered that since the announcement of Daramola, Kekemeke joined forces with his deputy, Ade Adetimehin, who was also disappointed that his preferred candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) was not picked by the President.
The forces of the Chairman and his deputy were said to be behind the suspension of the party’s spokesperson.
A member of the state working committee who preferred anonymity said: “At the beginning, you would know that the issue of the Publicity Secretary was the basis of the emergency meeting.
“The chairman was so bittered that the Publicity Secretary commended President Buhari over the choice of Prof. Daramola. He believed that the Professor is a wrong choice.
However, Adesanya said he had not received any correspondence suspending him from office and that the state working committee had no such powers to suspend an officer.
A committee, which was set up to look into the matter, has invited Adesanya to appear before it.