Nigeria\’s All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday set up appeal committees to resolve the disagreements which trailed the conduct of its ward congresses last Saturday in some states. They will begin sitting on Monday, May 7.
These were contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi in Abuja on Sunday. It expressed satisfaction with the general conduct of the exercise nationwide, describing it as successful.
The exercise was either postponed in some places or marred by violence like Iin Delta State where a chairmanship aspirant was reportedly killed, and Ekiti State where it was disrupted by violence.
It appealed to its members to remain law abiding and where there are issues, they should seek redress through the appeal committees in their respective states.
It regretted the disruption of the exercise in Ekiti State, assuring that the process would resume soon.
It said the chairman of the Ekiti Governorship Election Primary Committee and Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura has met all the aspirants and resolved all contentious issues.
The statement said: “The situation in Ekiti is regrettable. The issues have been resolved and it is hoped that the exercise can continue where it stopped. The Primary Election Chairman spoke to the National Chairman after consulting with the aspirants. The position is that the process should resume as quickly as possible. The issue of indefinite postponement does not arise.”
On the conduct of the ward congresses, the statement said “The All Progressives Congress (APC) wishes to congratulate all its members for the generally peaceful conduct of the Party’s ward congresses which took place across the country over the weekend.”
It said: “The Party especially commends members who served in the congress committees for their dedication and impartiality. 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.”
Although he did not give any definite date for the resumption of the process, all political parties have until May 14, 2018 to conduct their primaries; while they should submit forms CF001 and CF002 to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by May 15, 2018. But the Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, lambasted the APC as disorganised and divided, saying the violence which trailed its primary indicated that it would fail woefully in the July 14 Governorship election.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose described the violence that marred the exercise in the State as shameful and a clear indication that “ the APC will fail woefully in the July 14 governorship election because apart from its rejection be Ekiti people, the party has become a house divided against itself that can never hold.”
He said: “The whole world can now see the so-called progressives. Ordinary primary election, they can’t hold. It is shameful!
“If the party could be this violent during their own primary election, won’t they do worse things during the election proper?
“INEC should therefore be mindful of being used to manipulate the July 14 election in favour of APC because the party has today, lost the election by the open advertisement of its anti-democratic credentials.”
Fayose, who said that APC is a party of hypocrites and anti-democratic elements, masquerading as progressives, added: “A party, which uses guns and machetes to settle minor political disagreements among its members as done in Ado Ekiti, in the full glare of the public, will use grenades and missiles to confront inter-party issues.”
The exercise was disrupted in Ekiti State by party supporters and agents of aspirants after they alleged that the agent of former Governor and Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was trying to manipulate the voters.
They also alleged that Mr Fayemi was handing a tag to the delegates with inscription “JKF” on which they wrote the serial number of the ballot papers, fearing that it was an attempt to monetise the process.
The exercise was therefore suspended after delegates from five local government areas had cast their votes, with some delegates and agents of opposition aspirants throwing the ballot boxes off the tables. Some were heard chanting anti-Fayemi slogans.
But Fayemi’s agent, Abedeji Adewumi, said the other agents chose to disrupt the process because they saw that the voting was in favour of his principal.
“They disrupted the election because we are leading. The rule was that if a delegate had difficulty identifying who to vote for, he can call the agent and he could be guided on how to vote.
“So when the other agents saw that those who were voting were calling on the agent of JKF, they felt we were leading and were not comfortable. ”
But the Director General of the Babafemi Ojudu campaign, Ranti Adebisi, said the process could not continue because it had been compromised.
“The process has been compromised. When there was a rule that you can only bring in two people, he brought in 18 observers. He cannot come here and disrupt what is going on in Ekiti State.”
Other agents complained that the party had no clear guidelines as to how the process should be conducted, changing the rules intermittently without informing those participating in the process.
They also alleged that some security operatives close to the voting area were telling the delegates how to vote and to vote for Fayemi.
They called for the stoppage of the exercise with all their observations considered before the primaries could be continued
. Altogether, 33 aspirants are jostling for the party’s ticket.
On why other aspirants were allegedly vehemently opposed to him, Fayemi had told reporters after the suspension of the exercise that “these things were done by people I have helped.”
His words: “God could have used anybody to help anybody. But these were people that I took up the political ladder. Let me say it clearly: the gang up is a product of political treachery. When we lost in 2015, the same characters set up the Action Group within the party.
“They worked against my emerging as President Muhammadu Buhari’s minister. They believe my emergence as the governorship candidate is a political tragedy for them. They are projecting what they would have done if they were in my shoes. But I am not like them.”
Another former Governor of the state and the party’s Vice Chairman, South West, Chief Segun Oni, called for tranquility over the disagreements.
In a statement titled “Let\’s maintain Tranquillity”, and issued by the Director-General, Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Dr. Ife Arowosoge, Oni said: “The Segun Oni Campaign Organisation hereby expresses its displeasure and utter dissatisfaction with the handling and the consequent disruption and abortion of the Ekiti State Governorship Primary that took place on Saturday, 5th May 2018. Some lapses were observed in the conduct of the exercise by the Al-Makura led Committee.
“It was alleged that the nomination of the Secretary to the Committee was influenced by his close relationship with one of the aspirants. This led to a protest by the other aspirants which they expressed at a meeting with the Primary Election Committee. Despite the promise of his removal by the Chairman of the Committee, he still actively participated in all the processes of the election.
“It was also observed that contrary to the standard rules guiding the conduct of primaries whereby only one agent of an aspirant and accredited delegates are allowed into the venue of the election, many associates and aides of this same aspirant were issued tags as observers and allowed into the venue. Their presence constituted a nuisance of significant proportion while they willfully interfered with the voting process.
“Some security operatives appeared to have been compromised by this same aspirant in a bid to influence the election. The aspirant brought in several security operatives who blatantly interfered with the conduct of the election.
“All the above were presented to Governor Al-Makura and his Committee and no decisive action was taken. The situation eventually degenerated to protest by some of the delegates which to the eventual disruption and abortion of the electoral process. Delegates from eleven (11no) Local Government Areas walked out without voting in protest.
“Evidence of the lackadaisical attitude of the security operatives was well captured in a video that has since gone viral in the social media. Given their presence, it is hard to believe that an individual could proceed to scatter the ballot boxes to the consternation of the delegates.
“Clearly, aspirants and delegates have since lost confidence in the Al-Makura Primary election Committee. Our prayers are as follows:
“The conduct of the primary by the Al-Makura Committee should be thoroughly investigated by the National Working Committee to determine the extent of their involvement and compromise of the process.
“The NWC will need to provide a renewed assurance and confidence that the Primary can be conducted transparently, honourably and creditably without any bias and without any favour.
“Meanwhile, the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation seize this opportunity to appreciate the patience, perseverance and understanding of the delegates in spite of this unwarranted provocation and process manipulation. We appeal to all delegates to maintain calm and continue with their support for Chief Segun Oni who is determined to ensure the best for Ekiti.
“The evil machinations of enemies of Ekiti will not succeed and the votes of each and very delegate will count.”
Also, another aspirant, Senator Babafemi Ojudu said: “The Ekiti Rebirth Organisation (ERO), the campaign arm of All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has condemned the disruption of the party’s governorship primary by thugs allegedly loyal to one of the aspirants.
‘It represents the highest level of desperation in anybody’s quest for political office.
“When they said they were going to cripple the state, we did not know what they meant was to attempt to forcefully hijack the ticket.
“Now that we know better, we assure they will meet stiff resistance from our people,” Gboyega Adeoye, ERO spokesperson said in a statement.
He said the gubernatorial primary was going on smoothly, with the delegates already casting their votes before the thugs smashed some ballot boxes. This, according to him, led to the disruption of the exercise.
The pandemonium that ensued snowballed into serious fracas that caused delegates scampering for safety and an abrupt seizure in the voting process.
