There was a mild drama on Saturday when some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ekiti State staged a protest at the ongoing national convention of the party, rejecting the primary election that produced Biodun Oyebanji as party’s governorship candidate.
Oyebamiji, who was anointed by governor Kayode Fayemi emerged as the governorship candidate after other aspirants boycotted the primary election.
But the aggrieved members under the aegis of Ekiti Mandate Group noted that party leaders and the incoming National Working Committee (NWC) members must note that they are aggrieved and nothing will percify them unless the preferred candidate in person of Kayode Ojo is seen on the ballot.
The aggrieved members who staged a protest at the Eagle Square venue of the APC national convention were armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, calling on the party to recognise Eng. Kayode Ojo was the preferred choice to fly the party’s governorship ticket.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards are: “Return our stolen mandate”; “Kayode Ojo is our choice”;
“Governor Fayemi is killing APC in Ekiti state”; “we reject imposition” among others.
The convener of the Ekiti Mandate Group, Abiola Timilehin, while speaking on behalf of the protesters warned that if justice is not done his group will end the reign of APC in Ekiti state.
He appealed to the leaders and the incoming National Working Committee (NWC) members to prioritise the need to urgently correct the injustice perpetrated by Fayemi and his cohorts in Ekiti state before the governorship election to avoid the what happened to APC in Zamfara state, Rivers state and Oyo State.
Timilehin stressed that they decided to create a scene here at the national convention of the party so as to call the attention of our leaders to the calamity that’s about to befall the party in Ekiti if that kangaroo called primary election was not reversed.
His words: “Recalled that the state’s governorship primary that was conducted on the 27th of February was reportedly marred by irregularities, which led most of the aspirants, including Engr. Kayode Ojo to call for its cancellation.
“The aspirants had accused Governor Fayemi of manipulating the process in favour of his own anointed candidate, who was declared winner in that kangaroo arrangement called primary election.”