•Says Tinubu’s absence at rally makes no difference

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

CHAIRMAN of Campaign of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the‎ Ondo election, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, has said that with massive turn out at the mega rally held in Akure at the weekend, there was no doubt APC would win the election.

Lalong who also met with ‎President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed door, shortly after the latter met with the Ondo Governor, ‎Olusegun Mimiko, said other political parties, not the APC should be afraid of contesting the governorship election.

He said: ‎”We have finished our campaign. You saw what happened at the grand finale. We are not in doubt that APC will win the election in Ondo.

“It is other parties that are scared of the APC and not APC being scared of other parties. We have come to thank the President for going to Ondo for the grand finale rally”.

On why the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu and governors of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, his Oyo state counterpart, Abiola Ajumobi and Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola were conspicuously absent at the grand finale rally, Lalong said it was not indicative of a crack in the ruling party.

“That was not a problem. We explained their absence. They sent in their apologies. You heard what happened there. As far as we are concerned, the President who is the leader of the party was at the rally. The national chairman was also there, as far as we are con- cerned, everybody was there.

“To the party, their absence did not make any difference. If a leader was not there and he has said he was not there because of ill-health, we have prayed that God will heal him.‎”