Ekiti: Tinubu’s Group Rejects Saturday’s Ward Congress, Berates National Leadership, Calls For Cancellation

By Ayodele Oni

The National Chairman, South West Agenda for Bola Tinubu, (SWAGA), a group loyal to the former Lagos State Governor’s Presidential ambition, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, said on Sunday that loyalists of Governor Kayode Fayemi manipulated last Saturday’s Ward Congress of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in the state.

Senator Adeyeye who briefed the Press on the outcome of the Congress in Ado Ekiti berated the National Leadership of the Party for not heeding earlier calls by stakeholders to put in place measures to guarantee hitch free exercise.

“We want to believe that the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), meant well when it gave the go ahead that Ward Congresses should hold across the country yesterday.

“This was despite the fear earlier raised in some quarters on the legitimacy of such. The fear was triggered by the narrow-margined victory of the Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, at the Supreme Court and pointers to the legality of the current party executives, to conduct a legally viable congress.

“The Ward Congresses purportedly took place in Ekiti State. But the manner of its conduct was nothing near all democratic norms as it was warped, disorderly, perverse and can only pass for a charade.

“Prior to the Congresses, the Tokan-Tokan, a group loyal to the State Governor Kayode Fayemi, had constituted for themselves a 7-man electoral committee, with no input from many party stakeholders in the State.

“This is even as the CECPC had earlier advised that effort should be geared towards peaceful resolution of conflicts so that the APC could birth consensus delegates across board.

“You will recall that the Ekiti State Chairman of SWAGA, Senator Tony Adeniyi, had issued a release to the effect that while consensus delegates, as advised by the CECPC, was desirable, it would be impossible in Ekiti State because of the determination of the Tokan-Tokan group, to dominate and control the soul of the congresses.

“Senator Adeniyi warned that the unbridled actions of the group would have grave consequences. But the warning was ignored.

“Now the consequences of the arrogance and selfishness of the Tokan-Tokan group, to impose their favourites on members, stirs us in the face.

“As witnessed yesterday, the presence of INEC officials was not felt at the congresses. In most of the centers, members of the Tokan-Tokan group took over the INEC job.

“The presence of the law enforcement agents was also very insignificant. We witnessed a situation where people waited agitatedly from dusk to almost dawn, in a decoy deployed to frustrate voters.

“In places like Ijero, Ado Ekiti and Oye Local councils, extreme violence was visited on people, leading to one death in Ado Ekiti Ward 10. Several people were also wounded and properties destroyed. We have the video clips of some of these heinous incidents.

“We are miffed by this level of desperation and wanton electoral recklessness. If it will take killings, wounding of over a hundred of our members and all sorts of violence, for the Tokan-Tokan- group to succeed in an intra-party contest, what are we going to witness in a general election?

“It is disheartening that those charged with the responsibility to strengthen our party in Ekiti are rather pillaging and giving it all sorts of bad names on the track of violence. If we lost three lives in the Ekiti East bye elections and this again in an intra-party affair, then there is still more to be done to lead us to the right path.

“We are hereby telling the CECPC, our party members nationwide and indeed, all Nigerians, that there was no congress in Ekiti State yesterday. What happened was a charade that cannot pass the test of democracy and it is totally unacceptable.”

But the APC in the state, in a statement by the Director of Publicity, Elder Sam Oluwalana, said there was no clash as claimed by the SWAGA group.

Elder Oluwalana explained that “Elections are naturally contentious, and there would always be differences in opinions and choices. The most important thing is that a level playing field was provided for all interested parties to freely exercise their franchise without let or hindrance.

“This is what we have done, and we congratulate all members of APC Ekiti for an overwhelmingly peaceful and successful exercise as we begin to prepare for the subsequent stages.

“Further, we would like to disabuse the minds of the public on insinuations being peddled about a purported clash between supporters of Governor Kayode Fayemi and supporters of H.E. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in the state.

“Our respected national leader is well known to have contributed to the growth of the party in Ekiti State and the entire country, and we as a party are aware of the very cordial relationship between Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Fayemi.

“Conflict entrepreneurs are advised to look elsewhere for a different narrative to bolster their divisive tendencies, and not fan embers of discord where there is none. We encourage any genuinely aggrieved party member to seek redress through the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms, and to desist from sponsoring false media narratives that are injurious to our collective interests.”

The APC held its Ward Congresses nationwide on Saturday, except for a few states, including Anambra and Bayelsa where it did not hold because of legal issues.

In Imo State, former Governor Rochas Okorocha, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, and their supporters boycotted.

In Ogun State, parallel Congresses were held between the  Governor Dapo Abiodun group and the group loyal to former Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.