By Clifford Ndujihe
THE campaign organisation of Edo North senatorial aspirant, Anamero Dekeri, has picked holes in comments that National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, had given  Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Francis Alimikhena an automatic return ticket, saying that the rumour was an attempt to smear Oshiomhole’s image.

Anamero Dekeri

Dekeri and Alimikhena, a close ally of Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, are the major contenders for the Edo North APC ticket. Oshiomhole hails from Edo North.

A statement by the Director General of the Anamero Dekeri for Senate Campaign Organisation, Mr Peter Oba, said  “The attempt to deceive the strong support base of Dekeri is dead on arrival. It is ridiculous that at a time when the leadership of our great party is striving to clear the mess created by serial betrayals, those responsible for the mess are coming up with an automatic ticket charade in order to cause more trouble for the party.

“We hereby state clearly that this is nothing but a calculated attempt to smear the image Oshiomhole. The people of Edo North senatorial district will not fold their arms and watch their leader’s name dragged to the mud.”

“Oshiomhole is a democrat who leads by example, hence, it noted, the former labour leader cannot be involved in any undemocratic tendency in the name of consensus.

“Why would Alimikhena be clamouring for automatic ticket when he did not emerge through an automatic ticket in 2015 election? Those clamouring for automatic ticket should consider the interest of the party. If we give unpopular candidate automatic tickets, will that guarantee the party’s victory in the general election? Alimikhena should show the people what he has done as a senator and principal officer of the Senate in the past three years. What has happened to his constituency project fund?”