From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Aggrieved members of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP), on Wednesday, stormed the party’s national secretariat, in Abuja, to protest alleged manipulation of the ward congresses to select delegates for the governorship primary.
The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, said the Senator Iyorchia Ayu led National Working Committee (NWC) has failed in its first assignment.
This coming as the PDP leadership called off a meeting with Ekiti State, earlier scheduled to hold on Wednesday.
A former House of Representatives member Tittilayo Akerele Owolabi, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved party members alleged that there was no ward congress in the state, last weekend.
According to her, “We were amazed when we heard that congress was conducted. We are demanding that the PDP National Working Committee declares null and void whatever happened on Saturday because there was no Congress.
“We advised them to go and investigate independently in Ekiti state if anything like that happen. Nothing like congress.”
“We want them to know that if they win PDP for Ekiti State, there will be a South-West victory for them. Destroying PDP in Ekiti State is laying the foundation of a failed presidential election for PDP.
“We want a cancellation. We don’t know why there will be an appeal when there was no Congress. I don’t know… how can you build legality on illegality when there was no Congress?”
Ayu, while addressing the protesters, assured them their complaints will be looked into. The party chairman, who was represented by the Deputy National Organising Secretary, Ighoyota Amori, noted that “we have received your petition on what happened in Ekiti. The petition is been looked into. The position is been addressed. I can assure you that justice would be done.
Meanwhile, the Appeal Committee on tje disputed ward congresses will sit, in Abuja, on Thursday to entertain petitions.