APC schedules Ekiti primary for Friday, insist on Al-Makura

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has scheduled another governorship primary election in Ekiti state for Friday.

Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, disclosed this to reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, saying Tanko Al-Makura, governor of Nasarawa state, will still chair the election committee but that the secretary has been changed.

Abdullahi added that the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, venue of the previous exercise, will be used for the election.

“The previous exercise is hereby cancelled and the primary will now start afresh at the same venue on Friday 11th May, 2018,” the APC spokesman said.

“Existing primary committee is maintained, except the secretary who will now be substituted.”

He said all the “unruly” agents who participated in the previous election have been disqualified from the fresh primary election.

“All agents in the rescheduled primary election are hereby barred from coming to the voting arena with their mobile phones,” Abdullahi said.

“Security agents from other states will be mobilised to secure the venue and officials in the rescheduled election. One person would be appointed subject to the consensus of all aspirants to assist persons with disability and illiterate voters. All aspirants must not leave their sitting position unless with the approval of the primary committee aspirants would be held vicariously liable for the conduct of their agents.”

The primary election which held on Saturday ended on an inconclusive note as agents who said the process had been manipulated disrupted the exercise.

They smashed ballot boxes and prevented delegates from voting. Only delegates from four out of the 16 local government areas of the state had voted when violence broke out.

Thirty-three aspirants partook in the botched exercise.

Kayode Fayemi, minister of mines and steel, who is one of the aspirants seeking the APC ticket for the July 14 election, had blamed some “desperate elements” for the crisis.

He accused Babafemi Ojudu, an adviser of President Muhammadu Buhari, and Bimbo Daramola, a former house of representatives member, of contributing to the poor outcome of the exercise which he said was going in his favour.

Both Ojudu and Daramola are aspirants in the party.

Twenty-seven aspirants of the party had met in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Sunday to demand a fresh primary election.

They also demanded the disbanding of the election committee chaired by Al-Makura.

APC has up till Monday to present its candidate for July election.