A coalition of governorship aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State yesterday protested the conduct of the ward congress to elect three ad hoc delegates to participate in the January 26 shadow poll.
The aspirants include former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni, Sen. Biodun Olujimi, Alhaji Lateef Ajijola and Mr. Yinka Akerele.
The four aspirants, who stormed Adebayo area of Ado-Ekiti with supporters armed with placards, alleged manipulation of the exercise to favour former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s political group.
The inscriptions on the placards were “Enough is Enough”, “We Say No imposition”, “Fayose Alone Can’t Win Ekiti for PDP”, “We Are Not for Sale”, “There was No Ad hoc Congress in Ekiti”, among others.
Addressing reporters in Ado-Ekiti, Olujimi, flanked by Ajijola, Akerele and Oni said the ward congress didn’t take place in any part of the state, adding that the purported result being bandied around was allegedly concocted by Fayose.
She slammed the five-man panel sent by the PDP national secretariat to supervise the congress, lamenting that the exercise was shrouded in secrecy to subvert people’s will, transparency and inclusive participation of the aspirants.
Olujimi said the exercise was devoid of democratic ethos and ideals, as many PDP members across the 177 wards waited in the sun for hours, expecting the arrival of electoral materials, only to be told that the election had been conducted.
“There was no ad hoc ward congress and we want cancellation. What really happened was that one person hijacked the materials and wrote the list. If you hijacked the materials and wrote the names of the delegates, then, you will face the consequences.
“It’s not about me. It’s about our party and future. What is important is fairness and justice. Any place where there’s no fairness and justice, there won’t be peace. So, all the peace agreements have been broken. When you break a peace agreement, what do you expect us to do? To fold our arms? No, we won’t,” she said.
She alleged that the exercise was designed from the outset to favour Fayose to ensure his preferred aspirants secure the party’s flag in the June 18 governorship election.
Olujimi described the development as unfortunate and fraudulent, lamenting that it had placed a strong moral burden on the democratic credentials of the party, which many believed as the bastion of democracy.
She urged the party leadership to intervene by allowing compliance and adherence to democratic norms devoid of manipulation, warning that the development, if allowed to persist, would be a threat to the victory of the party at the polls.