The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after Saturdaysinconclusive primary took a different dimension on Monday as police have sealedthe partys secretariat.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports thatprotesters, who claimed tobe sympathetic to the aspiration of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had besieged the secretariat onthe Ajilosun- Ikere road where they announced the removal of the state executives led by Chief Jide Awe.
NAN reports that the protesters also announced the immediateformation of a pro-Fayemi caretaker committee.
Armed policemen, however, arrived the secretariat shortly and drove everyone out before sealing off the party secretariat.
The protesters saidthey were at the secretariat to register their disapproval over the conduct of the members of the State Working Committee.
The protesters, who brandished placards with various inscriptions, alsopassed vote of no confidence on Awe and the partys spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, alleging that they were supporting a particular aspirant.
Relying on Article 21 (7) of the partys constitution, the protesters disbanded the SWCand set up a Caretaker Committee headed by the APC Chairman in Ise/Orun Local Government Area, Mr Michael Egunjobi.
The protestersalso laced thegate of the party withfetish materials made from palm oil and egg.
Awe, who was said to have narrowly escaped assault by the irate party members, was ferried to safety from the secretariat by mobile policemen.
As atthe time of filing this report, police vans werestill stationed at the secretariat which was under lock and key.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 27 aspirants have rejectedthe position canvassed by the National Working Committee of the partythat the botched primary would continue from where it ended on Saturday.
Some of the aspirants led by former Gov. Segun Oni on Monday met at a location in Ado Ekiti and rejected the position of the NWC that the committee which conducted the primary should returnand complete the exercise.
The aspirants,who were reacting to a statement credited to theNational Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said that the ballot cast onSaturday in five local governments before the violence erupted had beenrendered invalid.
Among those present at the forum, apart from Oni, wereSen. Babafemi Ojudu, Opeyemi Bamidele, Bimbo Daramola, Sen. Ayo Arise, Sen. Gbenga Aluko, Kola Alabi, Muyiwa Olumilua, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, Debo Ranti Ajayi andDr Bayo Orire.
The spokesperson for the group, Yaya-Kolade, said the fact that the votes were not counted, collated and announced at the venue, had rendered the process invalid.
She declared that the 27 aspirants would not accept attempts to validate unverified results of the few delegates that had cast their votes onSaturday neither would they accept the Tanko Al-Makura-led committee again as umpire.
Source: NAN