Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a key contender in the upcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election, has dismissed allegations of an anointed candidate purportedly endorsed by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at the APC National Secretariat on Thursday, Ibrahim said that the ticket remains open to all aspirants, labelling the pursuit of endorsements as “stupid”.
He said, “It is stupid to say you are looking for endorsement; politics is about democracy, and democracy is about numbers.
“Somebody sitting down and wanting to endorse you—that’s not realistic. Was Asiwaju endorsed? At the end of the day, he won the election with no endorsement from anybody. If you believe it is your turn, it is your turn.
“As I am leaving here, by Monday, I will be paying 140 million Naira to the party for the 100,000 delegates membership form.”
When asked about how he intends to tackle insecurity, Senator Ibrahim proposed leveraging artificial intelligence.
He said the deployment of apps to combat the menace of herdsmen and bandits would be an effective measure.
“On insecurity, I will multiply Amotekun, and I will use the app to dislodge insecurity. There are apps that can detect insecurity and crimes; these are what I will employ.
“Modern security requires this artificial intelligence to combat insecurity. Today, security is about having the right app to manage the situation. When I become governor, I will use the military jets to fly drones around for intense security.”
“Modern security requires this artificial intelligence to combat insecurity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa expressed confidence in his candidacy, based on his achievements in office.
He, however, acknowledged the stiff competition from 15 other aspirants.
He said, “I am aware we have 15 other aspirants jostling for this same office. They are also eminently qualified. Let me say it here: I respect all of them.
“But we know ourselves. They have been around. We know who they are and what they can do. They are illustrious sons and daughters of the land. But I can tell you there is nothing to fear.
“I can tell you the people of Ondo State know what and who they want. Like I said, the youths, women, traders, farmers, artisans, and Ondo workers are all calling for me to continue.
“Those are the people who will determine who wins the election. I have no fear because they are already speaking. In fact, they have spoken. So there is nothing to fear.”
News About Nigeria earlier reported that the APC has extended the sale of nomination forms, expression of interest forms, and delegate forms for the 2024 gubernatorial primary election in Ondo State.
This means that aspirants contesting the election under the APC banner have until Friday, April 5, 2024, to obtain their forms.
Initially, according to an earlier-published revised timetable and schedule of activities, the sale of forms was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, and was set to end on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
