The fragile peace in the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was shattered on Tuesday, as the lingering controversy over the method for the selection of the party’s candidate for the coming governorship election in the state caused a fracas at the party secretariat, Ado-Ekiti.
Some members of the state executive of the party had called a press conference, but before it began, some thugs had invaded the party secretariat, shot indiscriminately into the air and beaten up fleeing members of the party and journalists, with two of the executive members being treated for serious injuries they sustained.
The state legal adviser of the party, Mr Kola Adefemi, who was the speaker of the state House of Assembly during the administration of Governor Niyi Adebayo and its auditor, Mr Tunji Olanrewaju, were seriously injured.
Both men were said to have been treated at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
Adefemi, who was injured in the head, was said to have received first aid at the hospital and opted to go to his personal physician in Akure, Ondo State, for further treatment, while Olanrewaju, whose leg was said to have been broken in the incident, was still at the Ado Ekiti hospital as of press time.
Newsmen, who were at the Ekiti PDP secretariat for the press conference called by some members of the party executive, could not be identified by the thugs, as people were beaten up indiscriminately. Victims included members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who ran in different directions for safety.
On the cause of the crisis, it was gathered that those who were in support of the consensus arrangement for the selection of the party’s candidate and those who were against the arrangement had been pitted against each other, with the various groups contending the issue.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on telephone, Adefemi, a member of the contentious 11-man consensus committee, said “there supposed to be a swearing-in of the PDP consensus committee at the party secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, but thugs came and disrupted the event and I think they were sent to kill me.”
Adefemi added that “20 of the 23 governorship aspirants have endorsed in writing that they are in support of the screening committee. We have not been able to reach two of them for their written consent now, but they have consented on the telephone. But there is a particular aspirant who is not in support of the committee.
“While at the secretariat, the secretary of the party, T. K. Aluko, started firing gunshots into the air to scare away participants and members of the committee and the thugs beat up people with knives, clubs and other weapons.”
He said he had reported the incident at the Ologede police station, saying “I have gone to lodge a complaint of attempt on my life because I believe they wanted to kill me.”
But, in a reaction, Aluko said “we were all in the office when the commotion started and we were all chased out of the office, so I don’t know how he came about that.”
A statement by the public relations officer of the party, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, entitled: “There is no consensus committee yet,” said the party had suspended its state chairman, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, for one month.
The statement accused Ogundipe of “mismanagement of the party affairs, flagrant abuse of office, high-handedness and lack of respect for the provision of the party constitution,” while directing the deputy chairman, Mr Femi Bamisile “to immediately take over and pilot the affairs of the party, pending the outcome of investigations.”
Attached to the press statement signed by Oluwawole was a letter dated July 12, 2013 entitled: “Rejection of the composition of the consensus screening committee,” in which some members of the state working committee rejected the committee.
The state working committee members that rejected the screening committee included Oluwawole; the organising secretary, Alhaji Agbaje Lateef; youth leader, Tayelolu Olatunji; Aluko, secretary; Mrs Busayo Oyebode, women leader; A. O. Aluko, treasurer and vice chairman, Ekiti Central, Femi Ogunleye.
They contended that “the committee that was supposed to be set up is a template consensus drafting committee and not a consensus screening committee as being projected.
Reacting to the development, the state police command said it had deployed men in the area, adding that normalcy had been restored.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Victor Babayemi, said there was no arrest over the incident.
Source: Tribune
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