This
was even as the party leadership held that the conduct of the party’s ward
congresses across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital
Territory was largely peaceful.
The
APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke to The PUNCH
on the telephone on Sunday, said the issues regarding the Ekiti governorship
primary had been resolved.
He
added that the violence which led to the suspension of the primary was
regrettable.
In response to a question on when the party’s NWC would speak about the situation in Ekiti State, Abdullahi said, “The process will have to be completed first before any other step can be taken.
In
response to a question on when the party’s NWC would speak about the situation
in Ekiti State, Abdullahi said, “The process will have to be completed first
before any other step can be taken.
“When
the process is completed from where it was stopped and a winner emerges, then
we will receive and treat the report of the primary’s committee and the appeal
committee (if any). It is after this is done that we will submit the name of
the successful candidate to INEC.”
He
later told journalists, that “The issue (Ekiti situation) has been resolved and
it is our hope that the exercise will continue where it stopped.
“The
chairman of the exercise has spoken to the national chairman after consulting
with the aspirants. Our position is that the process should resume as quickly
as possible. The issue of indefinite postponement does not arise.”
The
APC equally congratulated all its members for the generally peaceful conduct of
the party’s ward congresses which took place on Saturday.
The
party commended members who served in the congress committees for their
dedication and impartiality.
In
a statement by Abdullahi, the party added, “We, however, acknowledge that there
are some issues arising from the conduct of the elections in some states.
“With
this in view, the party had set up various appeal committees which will begin
sitting from Monday, May 7, 2018.
“We
therefore call on all party members to remain law-abiding and where there are
issues, they should seek redress through the appeal committees in their
respective states.”
A
high-ranking party leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he
didn’t want to “add petrol to a raging fire”, said what happened during the
ward congresses was expected.
“It
is simply a contest for power; nothing more. With the way we play politics in
this part of the world, if you have no base at the ward level, it is difficult
for you to have a serious standing in the party, especially if you want to seek
an elective office.
“Every
serious party leader will want to have a grip on what happens from the ward
level up before vying for anything at the local government or the state level.
That is why membership registration started at the ward level.
“As
a ruling party, it is normal for contests to be more pronounced because people
feel that securing the party’s endorsement is a sure way to victory,” he added.
The
party leader said he and his colleagues were aware that the APC did not have
the luxury of time; hence they were determined to ensure that everything
possible was done to resolve all issues before the national convention in June.
But
the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, condemned the violence
and bloodletting that “characterised Saturday’s APC ward congress in various
parts of the country.”
In
a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, the PDP said
it was worrisome that the country’s electoral processes were still smudged by
unnecessary resort to violence by contenders, even when there were “available
channels for the resolution of disagreements at various levels of engagement.”
Ologbondiyan
said the PDP was not happy about the violence and called on politicians to be
tolerant of one another.
He
said, “The PDP regrets the violence and calls on Nigerians, particularly
political stakeholders, to make sure that our electioneering and political
process are free of violence, especially as we approach the 2019 general
elections.
“Our
party values the life of every single Nigerian and we implore all contenders,
including political parties, to eschew desperation for power, especially in the
face of loss of popularity and public support due to performance issues.
“Nigeria
belongs to all of us and we seek a peaceful environment where the citizens are
free to vote for candidates of their choice at all levels, particularly the
presidency.
“As
it were, majority of Nigerians have made up their minds where to go in 2019 and
we urge all stakeholders, including political parties, contenders to offices
and the Independent National Electoral Commission to respect the will of the
people by playing by the rules and maintaining a peaceful atmosphere.”
He
said the PDP sympathised with the families of those who lost their lives in the
violence and prayed for speedy recovery for those injured.
Fayemi’s
friends on electoral committee, say Oni, Ojudu
A
former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni, and a former member of the Senate,
Babafemi Ojudu, have advised the National Working Committee of the APC to
investigate the cause of the violence that led to the suspension of the
governorship primary in Ekiti State on Saturday.
The
duo alleged that some of the members of the electoral committee, chaired by the
Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, were friends of former governor
Kayode Fayemi, who is also an aspirant.
Oni,
a former APC National Deputy Chairman and governorship aspirant of the party,
said the way “some people who were discovered to be friends of a particular
aspirant” were nominated to the Ekiti governorship primary committee put the
integrity of the party’s national leadership to question.
Oni
spoke in Ifaki Ekiti on Sunday while reacting to the violence that marred the
Saturday’s primary of the party.
Trouble
started when agents of some of the aspirants complained that the electoral
process was being manipulated.
It
paved the way for some thugs to storm the venue, snatching ballot boxes and
smashing them on the ground.
Oni,
who described the violence as very unfortunate, said Oyegun must investigate
how the secretary of the committee, Mogaji Aliyu, a known ally of one of the
aspirant’’s, was made a member of the committee.
“Some
people have penchant for cheating and manipulating the structure of of the
party to favour a particular aspirant. I was the APC National Deputy Chairman
for four years; despite that, I did not use my position to influence anything
about a primary I was directly involved.
“When
you have penchant for fraud or to cheat the system, it makes democracy to look
uninteresting.
“We
found out that the secretary of the committee, Aliyu Mogaji, was nominated by
an aspirant, and Governor Al-Makura later got to know about this and dropped
him from functioning as the returning officer.
“Even
the fraud festered to the ranks of the security agencies. I quite appreciate
the fact that violence was not the right way, but it was caused because of
pent-up anger.
“That
is why the NWC led by Chief Oyegun owes all of us a thorough
explanation about how Mogaji found himself on the committee and how to prevent
such in future; otherwise, we are hiding under democracy to fool ourselves.
“Whether
I will be governor or not or hold political office in the future, I think
enough is enough about people being desperate to get positions because we must
give confidence to our people.”
When
asked whether consensus will be best option, Oni said he supported the idea,
adding that such would be difficult to attain with the turnout of events.
Also
speaking on Sunday, Ojudu denied the allegation that he organised the violence
that marred the primary, describing it as spurious and senseless.
Addressing
journalists in Ado Ekiti, Ojudu clarified that he never exhibited any
desperation and that was why he didn’t go to the election venue with party
supporters.
He
said, “I don’t like thugs, I don’t have them around me. It is Fayemi who is
getting desperate. Do you camp people if you are not desperate. There is a
video of who disrupted the primary, the police should arrest and prosecute him.
“They
said I was desperate, but let us ask ourselves; who among the aspirants took
delegates to Igbara Oke and Owo in Ondo State to camp them? It was
Fayemi. He was the one who compromised the committee and bought over
security agencies to compromise the process.
“I
brought him to Ekiti, I did a lot for him to be governor, so I know him to be
desperate and we were getting video clips about how he offered bribes to
delegates and how he was making calls at the election venue to top security
brass in Ekiti and Abuja to cheat the system.
“Let
me tell him, all these antics will not work. The primary will be conducted and
it must be free, fair and credible,” he said.
Fayemi,
Ekiti APC disagree over calls for cancellation of primary
Former
governor Kayode Fayemi and the APC in Ekiti State have disagreed over the call
for cancellation of the governorship primary.
While
Fayemi wanted the results of the election so far cast by delegates from five
local governments upheld, the state APC Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, called for
the cancellation of the exercise.
The
primary was suspended indefinitely after a violent protest broke out at Oluyemo
Kayode Stadium in Ado Ekiti where the primary held.
Addressing
journalists on Sunday, Awe blamed the Ekiti State APC Election Committee
chaired by Al-Makura for not carrying members of the state executive along in
the conduct of the exercise.
He
said, “There is no way you can conduct a primary without allowing the state
executive council to have a say. The aspirants were not happy. There are lots
of lessons to learn as a party.”
Awe
said the disrupted election should be cancelled.
He
said, “One of the cardinal principles of a free and fair election is for the
electorate not to have a doubt. When a system is doubted in an election it
becomes invalid.
“When
a system is disrupted, it becomes invalid. An invalid primary can’t produce a
valid candidate. We want to have a credible election so that the electorate
will be able to vote for us.
“With
what happened, we believe sincerely that the committee is culpable and the
security agencies have been compromised. The thugs that disrupted the election,
some people allowed them in.”
Awe
said a disciplinary committee had already been set up to quiz members involved
in the disruption of the primary.
But
speaking earlier with journalists, Fayemi’s agent in the primary, Mr. Samuel
Abejide, said the results of the five local governments that had voted before
the suspension of the exercise should count because they were valid in the face
of the law.
Abejide
also accused the security agencies of compromise, wondering how thugs invaded
the stadium and disrupted the exercise in the presence of security agents.
“We
believe the process of election was free, fair and credible and that is why the
results should be sustained.
“If
they are leading, why should they ask for a cancellation?”
Three
delegates – Dada Ebenezer, Emmanuel Adekunle and Jimoh Azeez – threatened to
sue the party if the results of the election held so far were cancelled.
Jimoh
posited that it would be tantamount to abridgement of rights for the poll to be
annulled.
“I
am a delegate and I voted during the primary. The process in those mentioned
local governments were free and fair, so I don’t expect the party to annul it.
“Should
the party go ahead and do that, I will not hesitate to go to court to seek
redress,” he said.
Abejide
denied the allegation that the committee apportioned more than required number
of agents to the former governor ahead of other contestants.
He
also denied allegations of undue interference with the delegates.
“There
was an agreement that delegates with impairment could call agents of the aspirant
of their choice to help them.
“They
noticed that agents of Dr Fayemi were being called repeatedly, they became
uncomfortable. Why are they calling for cancellation? It is a right of
delegates that cannot identify their candidates to be assisted; even the
constitution allows that.
“The
security agents were compromised; they stood watching and allowed the thugs to
have a field day.
“It
was a planned action assisted by law enforcement agents. I was harassed in the
presence of policemen and nothing happened to the men.”
SOURCE:
PUNCH
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