ACN Primary In Oyo State Ends In Chaos

The Primary of the Oyo State Chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) held Friday at the Olubadan Stadium ended up in chaos as party delegates and members who opposed the imposition of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the governorship candidate disrupted the primary.

The crisis  started brewing around 2 p.m  after the commencement of the programme. The   state secretary,Wasiu Olatubosun announced that the primary was just to fulfil all righteousness, adding   that the candidates to represent the party at the 2011 poll have been selected through electoral college.

However, pandemonium broke out immediately the National Treasurer, Prince Segun Adesegun said that the anointed candidates by the party leadership would be called  out and  members  would adopt them in a ‘parliamentary manner’.

The announcement was greeted with shouts of, “Objection, objection, objection”.

All the pleas from the party leadership and security agents made up of policemen, men of State Security Service, SSS to maintain peace fell onto deaf ears.

As the crisis confusion, the members who were outside  threw sachets of pure water, stones, bottles and other dangerous objects indiscriminately,  leading to people running  out of the venue of the primary. At that point most newsmen left the venue to avoid being attacked by political hoodlums.

There were cries of protests by  delegates, “We don’t want Ajimobi. We don’t want Ajimobi. He does not have what it takes to be our candidate. We want direct primary. Organise primary for all the aspirants and we will accept the outcome of the primary. Don’t impose candidates on us. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bisi Akande and others cannot be imposing candidates on us from Lagos or Abuja ”.

Among the party delegates that spoke with PM NEWS on the crisis were: Lanre Badmos from Ibadan South West constituency, Akindele Akinlabi from Afijio/ Atiba constituency, Samuel Kola Ajadi from Ibadan North West constituency, an aspirant to the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mrs. Salami Rasidat and Oni Michael from Oyo East.

The said that all the candidates that the party  approved to contest the 2011 poll were picked in the house of the chieftains of the party or a hotel.

One of them said, “They picked Ajimobi in the hotel and they pick candidates that are contesting for state and National Assembly likewise in hotels. ACN pretends as if it is a party that believes in the democracy but it doesn’t and it is time that we reject all these undemocratic attitudes’.

Earlier, PM NEWS found out that all the nine governorship aspirants were invited to Hail Henrietta Hotel popularly called Triple H Hotel situated at Olubadan Estate, Alakia by the national body of ACN.

It was at the meeting that all the governorship aspirants were informed  rudely that the national body of the party has endorsed Ajimobi to contest for the governorship poll . The party leadership added that there is nothing anyone could do.PM NEWS further gathered that while the meeting was on, the Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande called in to inform the aspirants that the primary scheduled for Olubadan Stadium was an avenue to publicly unveil Ajimobi.

Out of annoyance, three of the governorship aspirants, Soji Akanbi,  Chief Fem Lanlehin and Dr. Ismail Adewusi left the meeting.

Chief Lanlehin described the primary as a sham saying that the party does not have a governorship candidate  for the next poll.

Condemning the resolution of the party, he said, “No one will accept this kind of a thing. They just raised the hands of Ajimobi. Ajimobi is not the candidate for the party in the state but candidate of the party leadership. The party primary that produced Ajimobi as a governorship candidate did not follow the Electoral Act and party guidelines”.

As the crisis persisted, the party leadership quickly raised the hand of Ajimobi as the party governorship candidate and postponed the endorsement of other candidates till tomorrow, Saturday.

Among those endorsed were Dapo, the son of the former governor of the state, Lam Adesina who was absent from the primary.

Those in attendance were, the state chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke, Chief Olatoye Fomoso, Barrister Moshood Olumakin and Chief Caleb Olaniyi.

By Gbenro Adesina/ Ibadan