Some National Assembly aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 general elections have protested the decision of the party’s State Working Committee (SWC) to use indirect method to conduct the primaries in Ekiti state.
The aggrieved aspirants and their supporters on Tuesday besieged the party’s secretariat along Ajilosun street, Ado Ekiti and accused the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Niyi Adebayo, and Ekiti state Governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi of trying to scheme them out of contest to pave the way for their cronies.
They called on the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to overrule the SWC on its decision, which they said contradicted the stand of the NWC of indirect method.
A senatorial aspirant, Senator Ayo Arise, has earlier withdrawn from the primaries citing the same reason.
Speaking at the protest in Ado Ekiti, the aggrieved aspirants alleged that members of the State Working Committee, led by Mr Paul Omotosho, was trying to subvert the process to give way for automatic tickets to Fayemi’s close allies.
The glass windows of the party’s secretariat were smashed as the protesters forced their way into the building.
The aggrieved aspirants include: Messrs. Bimbo Daramola, Kayode Babade, Yemi Olayinka, Ayo Oshinkolu and Mrs Olutoyin Ajakaiye.
Daramola, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants accused Ekiti APC executives of doing the bidding of the Governor-elect, to edge them out of the primary.
“It was wrong for the state executives to have allowed individual to teleguide them to have his way and ensured that he imposed his candidates on the party.
Daramola said, “It was bad for the APC that just won the governorship election to be behaving in this manner. We were supposed to be giving the opportunity to test our popularity in the primaries, rather than resorting to imposition.
“The Deputy National Chairman, South, Governor-elect and other leaders of our party told us at Iyin-Ekiti, resident of Chief Niyi Adebayo that direct primaries will be used to pick the candidates.
“It was however unfortunate to receive a message on Sunday night that the earlier assurance at the meeting held with all aspirants had changed to indirect primaries.
“We have all being working on the agreement of direct primaries; it therefore became difficult to identify the so-called delegates because we don’t have access to the list.”
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