Vehicular and commercial activities in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital were on Monday disrupted as no fewer than six governorship aspirants in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) protested over the outcome of the last Saturday’s ad hoc ward congress.
The congress is expected to elect three delegates in each of the 177 wards ahead of the January 26 primaries.
The aspirants include a former Ekiti State governor, Chief Segun Oni, Senator Biodun Olujimi, Lateef Ajijola and Yinka Akerele, while the duo of Wale Aribisala and Professor Kolapo Olusola sent representatives during the protest.
They had earlier on Saturday rejected the process of the congress aimed at electing three delegates in each of the 177 wards for the January 26 primaries.
The aspirants who stormed the street of Ado-Ekiti with their hordes of supporters armed with placards called on the national leadership of PDP led by Senator Ayorcha Ayu to quickly redress the alleged manipulation of the exercise to favour former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s political group.
Speaking with newsmen, Senator Olujimi who was flanked by other aspirants noted that the ward congress didn’t take place in any part of the state, adding the purported result being banded around was allegedly concocted by the Fayose group.
She accused the five-man panel sent by the PDP national secretariat to supervise the congress, lamenting that the exercise was shrouded in secrecy to subvert the people’s will, transparency, inclusive participation of all the aspirants.
Olujimi said, “There was no ad hoc ward congress and we want absolute cancellation. What really happened was that one person hijack all the materials and went to write all the list. If you hijacked the materials and you are writing the names of the delegates, then, you will surely face the consequences.
“It’s not about me. It’s about our party and future. What is important is fairness and justice. Any place where there’s no fairness and justice, peace will be eluded. So, all the peace agreement has been broken. When you broke the peace agreement, what do you expect us to do. To fold our arms? No, we won’t.”
She called on the leadership of the party to swiftly intervene by allowing substantial compliance and adherence to democratic norms devoid of manipulation, warning that the development if allowed to persist would be a threat to the victory of the party in the June 18 poll.
“There is a need to listen to the people of Ekiti. The party must do the needful. They must call a meeting. And the meeting must be a meeting of truth. Without that, the poll here would be very tough for our party,” she added.
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