• There is no need for the hullabaloo and the doctored rebuttals, he says

• I will work harder to guarantee my victory at the Primary, I can’t just wait

”My endorsement does not stop any serious aspirant from contesting the Primary of the PDP.
In any case, notwithstanding my endorsement by the people of my Local Government, I will work harder to guarantee my victory at the Primary.”

”As a Democrat, I believe strongly in the sanctity of democratic ethos which places the people on high premium as a determining factor for electoral victories.”

”The PDP Primary is guided by rules and procedures like those of other Democratic Parties all over the world.”

”I shall follow sequentially all of these rules and procedures in my quest to gain the confidence of the people and emerge victorious at the Primary as well as the general election.”

”While l will continue to appreciate those delegates that have openly and confidently expressed their supports for me in my Local government or any other form of support in the light of the foregoing,l will, however, not be carried away by the furore that greets my endorsement across the board, instead, I will work very well to ensure that every ”I” is dotted and ”T” is crossed.”

”My endorsement should not create any apprehension. PDP is one family. The ticket is one ticket, not two. Let’s all prepare for the Primary.”

”Whoever wins the ticket of the party becomes the candidate of the party, and would be supported by all the aspirants.”

”There is no need for the hullabaloo and the doctored rebuttals credited to some ward excos by some persons to discredit the endorsement I got free from my people.”

”Endorsement or no endorsement, we would all pass through the due process of the Primary election by the electoral college which I am already yearning for. And at the end of the day, the spirit of sportsmanship must come to play. By then, I hope they would accept defeat.”

”I can’t just wait for the time.”

Above were the words of Banji Okunomo, the leading governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Ilaje local government Area of Ondo State while speaking to Starnews NG on Monday, after 72 hours the news of his endorsement as the sole governorship aspirant of the PDP in Ilaje LG, got Ondo State talking.

Starnews NG reports that Okunomo was endorsed by 21 out of 30 local government Executive members of the party in Ilaje local government on May 6, 2020.

The decision was communicated to the press on May 7, 2020, in a joint resolution paper duly signed by the 21 Excos with their signatures and designations appended on the said document.

On May 8, 2020, the Exco reaffirmed their earlier decision in a separate statement and put their direct phone numbers in the said statement for onward verification by anyone due to what they called doctored online rebuttals without their signed signatures which according to them, was allegedly credited to some of them to discredit the endorsement of Okunomo.

Consequently, barely 24 hours that Okunomo was endorsed, not less down 35 of the ward executive members of the party out of 48 across the 12 wards of Ilaje local government further concurred with the endorsement of Okunomo done by the 21 of the local government Excos being majority members of the local government executives in Ilaje LGA.