BEVERLY HILLS, May 5, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship primary in Ekiti State has been cancelled following the violence that erupted at the venue, the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium which made the exercise inconclusive.
Reports said agents of some strong contenders accused some security agencies of allegedly compromising the process in favour of a former governor of the state and federal cabinet minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
The Chairman of the APC Primary and Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura hurriedly entered his vehicle and left the venue after an emergency meeting with all the 33 aspirants, failed to resolve the issues.
Though Almakura did not officially brief the press on the pact reached with the aspirants, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN reported that two of the aspirants, Mr. Bimbo Daramola and former Speaker, Mr. Femi Bamisile, said it was a unanimous verdict at the meeting that the process should be suspended indefinitely.
“There was an issue somewhere about the exercise and they raised observation about sharp practices that had compromised the process which led to protest and the feeling was that the process should be suspended to avoid bloodshed”, he said.
He dismissed insinuation that it was because Fayemi was leading with a wide margin in about five, out of the 16 local governments that caused the violence.
“I don’t believe that is correct. The results have not been counted, so that was an assumption.
“Ekiti APC is not in any way fractured, we are one big family. If Fayemi defeats us, we are all going to back him, because the party is supreme. But this must come through a free, fair and credible process”, he said.
NAN reports that only delegates from four local governments had concluded their voting and delegates of the fifth council were about to vote when the violence erupted.
Trouble started at about 5.30pm when some agents raised observations about how the process was being allegedly compromised, accusing the men of the Department of State Services (DSS) of dictating to delegates who they should vote for.
Police and other security agencies shot sporadically into the air when the situation was escalating into a full-scale war among the camps.
When the violence broke out many delegates scampered out to seek refuge in the nearby properties and never returned.
THEWILL can report that 33 aspirants are contesting in the primary.
