Crisis rocks Ekiti APC primary election

All Progressives Congress APC) in Ekiti state is embroiling in internal crisis over local government chairmanship primary election as some  aspirants have protested the alleged imposition of some unpopular candidates by the party leadership 

Some the aggrieved aspirants, who stormed the party secretariat in Ado Ekiti, Wednesday,  included former chairman of Ado Ekiti local government, Mrs Tosin Aluko and Tajudeen Gidado, who are also chairmanship aspirants in the council polls scheduled for the December 7, 2019 in the state.

The party suspended primaries in Ado, Ikole and Ekiti East local governments on Saturday over alleged security threat and rumour that some members were planning to disrupt the process in a violent manner.

The placard-carrying protesters, led by the two aspirants besieged the party secretariat at about 9.30 am and rejected the consensus process that produced Mrs Omotunde Fajuyi as the candidate.

Addressing the party, Gidado and Aluko rejected the choice of Fajuyi as the candidate, saying such was a flagrant violation of party’s constitution, which stipulated that there must be indirect primary when consensus option fails.

In a letter presented to the State Working Committee Wednesday, the  Deputy Governor and leader of the party in Ado Ekiti council, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi and  35 others had picked Fajuyi against the wishes of the two other aspirants.

Speaking about the protest and the fence mending steps being taken by the party, the APC state Publicity Secretary, Hon Ade Ajayi, said the party was not interested in imposition of candidates.

Ajayi also exonerated Governor Kayode Fayemi of complicity in the crises that dogged the primaries, warning that nobody should bring the governor into the controversial issue.

“Some group of people came to protest here today and said they rejected the consensus option in Ado Ekiti. They were led by Mrs Tosin Aluko and Mr Tajudeen  Gidado.

“The party will look into their protest vis- a vis the letter signed by the Deputy Governor and 35 leaders. You know that the Deputy Governor is the leader of the party in Ado Ekiti and you know what it means for him to have signed for consensus. The state exco will meet on the issue and take a position. 

“We are not ready to impose anybody and nobody must bring the name of Governor Kayode Fayemi into this matter”.

Ajayi said the party has set up intervention and reconciliation committees to interface with the aggrieved aspirants on how to resolve the crises trailing the conduct of the primaries in the three councils.

He said the party has taken proactive measures by postponing the primaries on Saturday in the three councils upon realising that some hoodlums wanted to hijack the process to allegedly burn down some marked houses.

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