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Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State clarified that his decision not to present his Certificate of Return to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, should not be interpreted as an act of disrespect or disregard for party leadership.
After successfully retaining his governorship in last Saturday’s election, Lucky Aiyedatiwa received his Certificate of Return during a ceremony held at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s national headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
After receiving his Certificate of Return, Aiyedatiwa headed a delegation comprising Ondo State’s party leadership to the All Progressives Congress National Secretariat. There, they engaged with members of the National Working Committee, who welcomed them with open arms.
Although the tradition calls for it, both Governor Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Adelami Olaide, opted not to present their Certificates of Return to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, choosing instead to follow their own course.
Read also: We Didn’t Interfere With Ondo Guber Poll – APC Chair Ganduje
Shortly after his delegation met the party leadership, Aiyedatiwa told Saturday PUNCH that they deliberately didn’t present the certificates because they felt the honour should first go to President Bola Tinubu before the NWC.
He said, “I am supposed to first of all present the certificate to Mr President, the leader of this party. But he is not in town. That is why I cannot present the certificate to Mr Chairman first. So, it is not a case of being disrespectful.
“I just believe that is the right thing to do by presenting it to Mr President first of all before coming here. But since I am in Abuja, I had to come. I recognise the leadership that Ganduje has provided for this party at the national and even the state level. Since he took over as the chairman of this party, we have not lost any election.”
