Our Reporter
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ekiti State on Monday stormed the party secretariat in Osogbo, Osun State and disrupted the Southwest caucus meeting.
The protesters, who demanded that the slot of the National Deputy Chairman (South) be zoned to Ekiti State, gathered at the entrance of the secretariat.
It was learnt that the Southwest leadership of the party held a closed-door meeting in Osogbo allegedly to fill the vacant seats in the National Executive Council of the party from the region.
The position of the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the APC, occupied by Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, became vacant following his appointment as the Minister of Trade and Investment by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
The protesters, who chanted solidarity songs, carried placards with inscriptions such as: “No more Ajele politics”, “Fair is fair don’t cheat us”, “Don’t take us for fools”, “Beware of those things that can tear us apart”, “Ekiti APC is not second-class Ekiti”, “Party constitution is superior to personal sentiments”, “It is deputy chairman or nothing” and others.
The protest was led by a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly representing Ikole Constituency, Adeoye Aribasoye.
The demonstrators stormed the secretariat, forcing the leaders to end the meeting.
Aribasoye, addressing the Southwest caucus leadership, said: “We protested because we want equity and justice. The position of the National Deputy Chairman of APC (South) became vacant upon the appointment of Niyi Adebayo, who is now a minister. By the precedent convention and constitution of our party, the state which produces occupier of the seat that is vacant is to select another person to replace him.
“When Lai Mohammed from Kwara State was appointed as a minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, also from Kwara State, replaced him. We had the same arrangement in River State.
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“There is a zoning arrangement in our party. The National Chairman was zoned to Edo State in the Southsouth and the Deputy National Chairman was zoned to Ekiti State in the Southwest.
“Now that the position is vacant, it behoves the Southwest caucus to ask for nomination from Ekiti State, not from any other place. But what we heard is that they want to choose a replacement from Oyo State.
“Ekiti State is not an appendage of any other state. We are against cheating. What belongs to us must not be taken away. The position of the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the APC should be zoned back to Ekiti. We believe in a cause and we are resolute. We are resisting modern day Ajele.”
The National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the APC, Pastor Bankole Oluwajana, implored the protesters to be calm.
He said: “We have heard your grievances. We will make them known to the leadership of the party.
“Before your arrival, Ekiti State Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi was here to submit a four-page letter to us. God will help us to address the matter.”
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