June 16, 2012 by Sunday Aborisade, Akure Leave a Comment

A prominent governorship aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Ondo State, Chief Felix Rawa, on Friday defected to the Labour Party.

Rawa was the House of Representatives candidate for Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the 2011 election.

He based his decision to dump the ACN on the alleged dictatorship [/b]of its leadership. Specifically, Rawa frowned at the alleged zoning of the governorship ticket to the North senatorial district [b]without consulting party members.

He said the development showed irresponsibility of the party’s leadership.

He said, “A situation where someone will stay in Lagos and decide who rules Ondo and other South-West states would not be tolerated in our own state.

“The people should be allowed to decide who rules them and not through imposition. The leadership of the party had approached me and told me that it was the turn of the oil producing area of the state to produce the next governor.

“I was told that since our people had been marginalised by the previous governments, I should come and contest as governor.”

Rawa said since the party lost the last general election, he had been spending money in order to mobilise party members, believing that he would pick the governorship ticket.

He said, “I was disappointed when the leadership summoned a meeting in Lagos where the decision to zone the governorship seat was taken without consulting me and other leaders of the party in the state.

“My team and I were about the first group of politicians to hoist ACN flag in Ondo State and extensively worked for its spread based on sound principles. We plan to be devoted to fighting poverty and empowering the teeming people of the state.

“We mustered the courage to also run for the governorship of Ondo State. But it is amazing to note that the internal and participatory democracy we all sought is totally in abeyance with an anti-climax of imposition.

“The real ideas, ideals and philosophy of ACN is already betrayed, misplaced and buried with its music and content.”

Rawa said he decided to join the LP and work for the reelection of the incumbent governor, Olusegun Mimiko, because of his impressive performance in the past three years.

http://www.punchng.com/news/ondo-acn-gov-aspirant-defects-to-lp/