Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti

It was a process that began well, but the end was anything but edifying. Last Saturday, Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Ekiti State, became a scene of terror and chaos. The process was eventually terminated, and the exercise suspended indefinitely.

Right on national television and in the presence of security agents, political thugs and hoodlums swooped on the venue, smashing ballot boxes and unleashing violence. The aspirants were ferried to a room in the premises while security men dispersed the thousands of people outside the stadium.

But the process had started without incident early in the morning. Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, who led the team conducting the primary, had promised a transparent process.

The accreditation of the delegates was ongoing and the process was nearing completion when the sky suddenly became cloudy. A heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds, then started. The exercise was disrupted, as delegates, journalists and others in the stadium sought shelter from the rain.

When the rain subsided, sufficient time had been lost. Many people that had sought shelter outside stadium during the rain returned, and the exercise commenced after Al-Makura reiterated the rules. The accreditation process was concluded, and the voting proper commenced.

Voting was going on without incident. Delegates from five local governments had voted when a man, later identified as a youth leader, rushed to the ballot boxes and started smashing them. he was joined by another hoodlum. By the time they were overpowered by the security agents, the damage had been done.

All the aspirants condemned the disruption of the exercise. some of them also said the process was already programmed to favour former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Twenty-six of the 33 aspirants later met and demanded a fresh exercise, alleging that Saturday’s process was compromised. The aspirants include Segun Oni; Babafemi Ojudu;  Bimbo Daramola, Kayode Ojo, Femi Bamisile, Kola Alabi, Dr (Mrs) Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, Oluwole Oluleye and Muyiwa Olunilua, among others. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Opeyemi Bamidele and Gbenga Aluko were absent at the meeting.

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Yaya-Kolade, who spoke on behalf of the aspirants, listed why a new exercise was necessary.
“The quality of the ballot papers was not intact. Nobody could see the faces of the aspirants, the security was porous. They suggested that accreditation of delegates and voting should hold in an enclosed hall.
“Everything should be free, fair and transparent. There should be impartiality by the security personnel. No delegate should be allowed to leave their seat once accreditation began,” she said.

Many of the aspirants also levelled several allegations against Fayemi, alleging that he had compromised the delegates.

In his reaction, Fayemi described the allegation that the process was manipulated to favour him as very petty. He said for a long time, many of the aspirants had mounted coordinated attacks against his person. “These APC aspirants became the marketers of that funny tissue paper, a product of Kangaroo panel that Ayo fayose set up even when they are not oblivious of the position of the law. They were pushing it everywhere up to the screening panel until they were told that it is a non-issue,” he said.
Fayemi said his traducers among the aspirants, who had said he was no longer popular among the people, were shocked on the day he declared his intention. “They could not believe what they saw because this was the same Fayemi they said is not wanted by the people. They saw the effusive outpouring of love demonstrated by ordinary people just seeing me and my wife walking on the streets.

By the time I finished my tour of the local government areas, it became evident that I am the candidate to beat. They were looking for an exit strategy, and that is what you saw at the disruption of the primary,” he said.

Fayemi described the gang-up against him by most of the other aspirants as “a product of treachery.
“These were the same characters that formed a resistance group within our party. They were the same characters they campaigned that Fayemi must not be chosen as Buharis minister. They had concluded that once Fayemi secures the party ticket and goes on to win the election, it is their political suicide. Unfortunately for them, I am not like them, so they are only projecting what it could have been if they were in my position.”

The minister also accused some of the aspirants of working against the interest of the party. He said he was aware that some of them had been holding meetings with the state governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, all in a bid to ensure that he, Fayemi never got the party’s ticket.

“This whole unfortunate development that we witnessed is not just an assault on me; it is an assault on our party because they want to ensure that we have a weak aspirant for our party against the PDP in the forthcoming poll.

“Just last week, some journalists asked the governor’s spokesman if the PDP was afraid of me concerning this election and he was not apologetic about it. He said they were afraid of me and that other APC aspirants were even more afraid of me. He said in APC, it is 32 against one. He said, ‘other APC aspirants are the ones carrying our white paper around because they want to stop him at all cost.’ Obviously, these are anti-party activities. I hope that the party at the national level will look into what is happening in Ekiti.”