5th May, 2018
Photo: Tempo
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development and governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Kayode Fayemi and governorship aspirant, Senator Babafemi Ojudu have clashed over Saturday’s botched governorship primary election of the APC in Ekiti State.
The primary election was suspended and postponed indefinitely after thugs invaded the venue, smashed ballot boxes and threw them to the ground.
In a swift reaction, Fayemi accused Ojudu and Bimbo Daramola, another aspirant of bringing thugs to the venue to disrupt proceedings, as they knew fully well that he was leading.
But Ojudu countered Fayemi, saying that he was the one who brought thugs to disrupt proceedings at the primary since he knew he was going to lose.
In a statement on Saturday, Fayemi said the party did not deserve the type of ridicule which the shameful act of the hoodlums had subjected it to.
The Minister, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, said the disruption of the primary election was the height of desperation on the part of some aspirants, who having seen defeat staring them in the face, conspired together to ensure that the exercise was not concluded.
Fayemi said the aspirants resorted to violence and destruction, having realised that he was already in a clear lead in the five local governments that had cast their votes.
The aspirant, who said he was not surprised by the disruption of the exercise, revealed that the security agencies had, a few days to the primary, been notified of plans by some aspirants to deploy hoodlums to disrupt the voting exercise.
He, however said that the security agencies took note of the information and promised to beef up security at the venue.
“It is quite painful seeing some desperate elements trying so much to rubbish the party we all laboured to build to national reckoning, out of share lust for power. If the quest for political position is to serve, then one wonders why the desperation being displayed by the likes of Femi Ojudu and Bimbo Daramola.
“Certainly the conduct of these desperate aspirants falls short of the minimum standards expected of anyone that professes progressive ideals.We urge our teeming supporters and loyal party members not to be discouraged by this despicable act. This surely shall pass, and better days are ahead. Our collective rescue mission has indeed begun,” Fayemi said.
Countering Fayemi’s allegation, the Ekiti Rebirth Organization (ERO), the campaign arm of Ojudu condemned the disruption of the primary by thugs allegedly loyal to one of the aspirants, saying it represented 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” says Gboyega Adeoye, ERO spokesperson.
He said the gubernatorial primary was going on smoothly and the delegates casting their votes before thugs allegedly loyal to Fayemi smashed some ballot boxes, leading to the disruption of the process.
“The pandemonium that ensued snowballed into serious fracas that caused every delegates scampering for safety and an abrupt seizure in the voting process. Ekiti State has been under siege preparatory to the primaries as ferocious looking armed mobile policemen that came in company of the Minister, seized all the major streets for days, in reckless display of show of oppression and terror.
“Dr Kayode Fayemi, during his declaration vowed that he was ready to use every underhand means to secure the ticket but our people have come out to say a resounding No! No amount of intimidation, brigandage and crude display of wealth will stop the people’s will to install a fresh hand in our state.
“We are ready for Fayemi, we have always campaigned for a transparent primary election because we have the people on our side. With the reaction of the people to the attempt to compromise the process, Fayemi now knows he does not have Ekiti people in his pocket,” Adeoye said.