Botched Primary: Protest Rocks Ekiti APC ‎Secretariat

  • Aspirants tackle NWC over comment on suspended election
  • Pro-Fayemi group sacks party chair, ‎constitutes caretaker committee

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Protest rocked the Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ekiti State on Monday, as those sympathetic to the cause of former Governor Kayode Fayemi besieged the party’s office to register their disapproval over the conduct of the members of the State Working Committee(SWC).

The protesters, who brandished placards of various inscriptions , also passed vote of no confidence on the State Chairman of the Party, Chief Jide Awe, and party spokesman, Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, for allegedly supporting one of the aspirants in the race.

The protest was staged under the auspices of Concerned APC
Stakeholders, comprising mostly delegates and party leaders from the local government and ward levels .
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They said Awe was in cahoots with Governor Ayodele Fayose to destabilise the party ahead of July 14 governorship election and that he had been offered a sum of N75 million to carry out the sinister job.

Relying on Article 21 (7) of the party’s constitution, they claimed to have disbanded the SWC and set up a Caretaker Committee, headed by APC Chairman in Ise/Orun Council, Mr.Michael Eegunjobi .

To confirm that the crisis elicited by the botched May 5 governorship primary has snowballed into a full scale war, the protesters dropped fetish materials made of palm oil and eggs at the gate of the party located in Ajilosun area of the state capital.

The beleaguered party chairman, Awe, narrowly escaped being killed by irate party members and was said to have been ferried out of the secretariat by mobile policemen.

As of the time of filing this report, police vans have been stationed at the Secretariat while the building is under lock and
key.

Coordinator of the group, Barr Adeoye Aribasoye, said: “We are concerned APC members in Ekiti. We had it on good authority that the peaceful election held on Saturday would have been successful, but for connivance between our party chairman and Governor Fayose.

“The election could have been adjudged the best in Ekiti and Nigeria at large.

“We are hereby passing a vote of no confidence in Awe and SWC members for taking sides. It was Awe and Olatunbosun that allowed those thugs to enter and disrupt the poll.

“The same Jide Awe now going around to say the election should be cancelled. He even met with Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Almakura,‎ and APC National Vice Chairman, Southwest , Pius Akinyelure, on Sunday to ask for consensus in favour of Segun Oni.

“It is against the tenets of democracy and APC statute for SWC to be showing open bias. As a result of this, we held a congress today where it was agreed that a caretaker committee to be led by Hon Kayode Eegunjobi as Chairman and Michael Akinleye as Secretary be set up”.
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When asked whether the congress has the power to remove a state SWC members, Aribasoye retorted: “anybody can convene the congress and it is the most powerful organ of the party, so our decision is binding on the party”, he maintained.

ASPIRANTS TACKLE NWC OVER COMMENT ON BOTCHED POLL

Meanwhile, the position canvassed by the National Working Committee of the party that the botched primary will continue where it ended on Saturday, had provoked over 27 aspirants that partook in the election.

These aggrieved aspirants, led by former Governor Segun Oni and 26 others, tackled the position of the NWC that the committee that conducted the disrupted election should return to the state and continue the exercise.

At a meeting in Ado Ekiti in reaction to the statement credited to the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Ekiti crisis, the aspirants maintained that the ballot cast on Saturday in five local governments before the violence had been rendered invalid.

Present at the parley were former Governor Segun Oni, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, Hon Bimbo Daramola, Senator Ayo Arise, Senator Gbenga Aluko, Kola Alabi, Muyiwa Olumilua, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, Debo Ranti Ajayi, Dr Bayo Orire, among others.

Spokesperson of the aspirants, Dr. Yaya-Kolade, said the fact that the results were not counted, collated and announced at the venue, had vitiated the process .

“The whole world could see how they smashed the ballot boxes and displayed it on swampy ground that day. The ballot papers were not counted and we can’t vouch for its credibility any longer.

“By this act, the voting process had been violated and we are
requesting for a fresh and new primary.

“We also request for a new committee to conduct the primary, because many of those in the panel are business associates of an aspirant. Some of them are incurably one-sided”.

On the rumour that it was a gang up against Fayemi, Mr. Kola Alabi said: “This is not true, it is a statement that we need transparency, because he who comes to equity must come with clean hands”.

Another aspirant, Debo Ajayi, corrected the impression that the party is divided, saying their demands for transparent primary should not be misinterpreted to mean a rebellion against the party.

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