Ekiti: Governorship aspirants demand suspension of APC primary

At least seven out of eight All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial hopefuls have demanded for the suspension of the ongoing primaries in Ekiti.

The aspirants are Kayode Mojo, Demola Popoola, Femi Bamisile, Bamidele Faparusi, Dayo Adeyeye, Opeyemi Bamidele and Afolabi Oluwasola. They are protesting alleged irregularities in the conduct of party primaries.

They thronged the party Secretariat in Ado Ekiti with their supporters on Thursday, alleging that the process has been manipulated to favour Abiodun Oyebanji who is labeled Governor Kayode Fayemi’s preferred choice

They also accused the superintending officials of distributing voting materials earlier than scheduled with a sinister objective to give a sole aspirant an edge.

They warned that the controversial primary may spell doom for the party as the result of the election will not be acceptable.

Meanwhile, voting was going on at various wards across the state with some centres recording huge turnout of voters as of the time of this reporting.

“We are not voting! No primary election in Ekiti,” some party members chanted on Thursday morning.

The primaries are to choose the party’s flag bearer for the June Governorship election in the State.

The APC is adopting the direct primary mode for the exercise and aspirants have been traversing the 177 wards in the state to woo voters.

Some of the issues that have been at the front burner include an agenda for the South Senatorial district to occupy the governor’s seat for the first time, speculations of an anointed candidate by the state governor and fears of violence.

The State government had announced the closure of all public and private schools on Thursday to forestall any untoward event.

The Police also assured adequate security with advise to political groups to toe the lawful path.