The reason the Ekiti APC primary election on Saturday ended up in a fiasco is becoming clearer as 27 of the candidates begin to vent their individual and collective misgivings about the partiality of the organisers.
At the centre of these allegations are the Gov. Tanko Al-Makura Election Committee and one of the contestants–Solid Minerals Minister Kayode Fayemi.
They referred to him as ‘one particular aspirant’.
Fayemi already believes he carried the day, insisting the result of the botched election be announced otherwise he will sue the party.
His agent Samuel Abejide claimed the other aspirants “ sensed that Fayemi was leading and they were not comfortable and decided to disrupt the election.”
But the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation is insinuating the committee has a soft spot for Fayemi, a former governor and colleague of Al-Makura in the Nigera Governors Forum.
This allegedly brought about a situation where Fayemi was able to job his man into the committee.
“It was alleged that the nomination of the secretary to the committee was influenced by his close relationship with one of the aspirants,” a statement signed by SOCO Director-General Ife Arowosoge said.
That nominee, Hon. Magaji Aliyu representing Jigawa in the lower house, eventually became secretary.
Arowosoge said despite the promise of his removal by the chairman of the committee after others aspirants protested, the secretary still actively participated in all the processes of the election.
A communique issued by 27 of the aspirants also highlighted this.
“Many of those in the panel were friends to a particular candidate and this we thought could vitiate the outcome of the election,”Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, one of the contestants, read after their meeting in Ado Ekiti on Sunday.
The issue of agency is another sore point.
Arowosoge said contrary to the standard rules guiding the conduct of primaries whereby only one agent of an aspirant and accredited delegates are allowed into the venue of the election, many associates and aides of Fayemi issued tags as observers and allowed into the venue.
State chairman of the party Jide Awe also blamed the committee for their action that created an impression on the contestants and delegates that the primary was not fair.
He said the election must be cancelled, and a new one organised.
But Gov Al-Makura said the party’s National Working Committee will decide the next line of action.