Banji Okunomo, director of strategic communication for the Jimoh Ibrahim Campaign Organisation, says the group is ready for the APC gubernatorial primary in Ondo.

The national leadership of APC on Wednesday announced that it will adopt the direct mode of picking its flag bearer in the scheduled April 20 primary.

Mr Okunomo said in an interview on Thursday in Okitipupa that Mr Ibrahim had, before now, “strategically prepared for either the direct or indirect primary mode” by taking his campaign to the grassroots to fraternise with APC leaders and members.

According to him, Ibrahim possesses all the educational credentials, exposure, political goodwill, popularity, financial capacity, charisma, and other qualities needed to emerge as the party’s flag bearer at the primary.

“We are not unhappy with the direct primary mode of the party’s primary because we are ready for any. We have prepared well for it.

“Senator Ibrahim has strategically prepared for a long by reaching out to the grassroots to familiarise himself with APC leaders and members in the 203 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state.

“I have never seen Senator Ibrahim as an aspirant but a candidate and an asset to APC, not a liability. This is because he has all the educational credentials, exposures, political goodwill, financial capacity, charisma and all that is required to fly the party’s flag,” he said.

Mr Okunomo urged all other aspirants to present clean records so as not to expose themselves to unnecessary ridicule through questionable records.

He also advised aspirants not to embark on campaigns of calumny against one another to avoid heating up the polity.

“Every aspirant must emulate my principal(Jimoh Ibrahim), who is just doing his own campaign without engaging in any form of campaign of calumny against anyone. He has, in fact, warned us not to engage in such an act,” Mr Okunomo said.

 (NAN)