The All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congresses was Saturday, marred by violence and protests as aggrieved stakeholders and loyalists registered their misgivings.
The exercise was also trailed by boycotts and court orders in some states where ligations were ongoing before the congresses timetable was released.
Amid the chaos, however, the party’s national secretariat hailed the exercise as “huge success” and “peaceful”.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE learnt that violence broke out in Ekiti State resulting in the death of one person, while score were injured as thugs unleashed terror during the exercise at Ado-Ekiti wards 10, 8 and 4.
Loyalists of Governor Kayode Fayemi and members of South West Agenda 2023 for Tinubu (SWAGA) clashed over attempt to force consensus arrangement on the people, thereby creating tension across the 177 wards across the state.
Ekiti chairman of SWAGA, Senator Tony Adeniyi alleged that no accreditation took place because of the governor’s insistence on consensus.
He said; “No election today in Ekiti because there was no accreditation across the wards. The Fayemi Tokan Tokan people manipulated the process and prevented people from voting for their prefer leaders, especially SWAGA members.
“I can confirm to you that there was violence in Ikere-Ekiti, virtually all the wards in Ado-Ekiti we had violence and several people wounded and also in Ward 10, someone was killed.”
In Akwa Ibom State, part of the party secretariat was torched as youths went on rampage over move to also impose consensus allegedly by the national secretariat.
Elders Forum led by a former military administrator of Rivers and Ogun states, Group Captain Sam Ewang(retd), alleged absence of electoral materials even as it decried the disappearance of the national officers who were in the state for the exercise.
Our correspondents report that although there was no reported incidences of violence in Osun State, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola’s camp alleged exclusion of members from the exercise.
A loyalist of the minister and former Speaker of the state Assembly, Najeem Salam, said: “The government in power has been cajoling people, harassing party members that are not in support of what they are doing within the party.
“Unfortunately, those that came to the state for sales of form are incommunicado. We only saw it online that they came for stakeholders meetings, people like me were not involved and some other eminent personalities within the party.”
In Rivers, officials claimed the exercise was successful despite the boycott by Senator Magnus Abe and his group.
Senator Abe on Friday urged his members not to participate in the exercise over alleged move to exclude them from the process.
However, APC in a statement by its spokesperson, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke said all party members were given equal opportunities to procure forms and vie for positions of their choice.
However, despite the crisis that trailed the congresses, the national secretary of the party’s caretaker committee, Senator John Akpanuoduedehe, lauded stakeholders and members for ensuring a peaceful exercise.
“I am happy to tell you that the reports across the country indicated the congress was successful and peaceful,” he noted.
