Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday said it had not adopted direct primaries method to pick its candidates for 2019 general elections.
APC was reacting to a claim by Senator Ajayi Boroffice, representing Ondo North Senatorial District, that the method would be used to determine the party’s standard bearers.
APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, said Boroffice was not qualified to speak for the party on any issue, stressing that it was the responsibility of the state leadership to decide for the party.
His words: “It is the responsibility of the leadership of the APC to brainstorm, as it has been done elsewhere, and come up with a position that would be announced through the right channels.
“Ondo APC would consider all the available and legal options, and go for a popular one that does not hurt the interest of the stakeholders.
“The party appeals to aspirants at all levels to be guided by civilized rules in their quest for positions, and avoid creating the impression that there are divisions in the state.”
Death toll in Italy bridge collapse rises to 42
Rescue workers have found four more bodies in the rubble of the Genoa bridge collapse, raising the death toll from 38 as at Friday to 42 Saturday morning.
This happened just as mourners filled a fairground pavilion for a state funeral for many of the victims found in recent days.
Italian RAI state radio said what was believed to be the body of the last person missing in Tuesday’s collapse of the Morandi Bridge was that of a 30-year-old man.
A few hours earlier, the bodies of an Italian couple and their 9-year-old daughter were found in their smashed car under a big block of concrete, part of tons of material that crashed 45 meters (150 feet) into a dry riverbed and nearby areas when the heavily trafficked major highway span gave way.
Relatives had said the family, from northern Italy, had been travelling to catch a ferry for the island of Elba, while on vacation.
RAI said authorities now believe there are no more missing after an elderly German man called officials to say he wasn’t involved in Tuesday’s collapse.
Genoa’s prefect’s office said it didn’t immediately have official confirmation of the media reports of the latest discovery of bodies by rescuers.
Mourners applauded firefighters and others involved in search-and-rescue efforts as they arrived for the funeral on a day of national mourning.
By early Saturday, families of 18 victims had confirmed their participation in the funeral and Mass celebrated by Genoa’s archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.
Government leaders also were attending the state funeral.
Others opted for private funerals, including one a day earlier for four friends, young men in their 20s, from the southern town of Torre del Greco.
At that service, relatives angrily denounced authorities for what they contend is failure to keep the bridge safe.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation but prosecutors have said they are focusing either on possible design flaws or inadequate maintenance.
