By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Angry members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Oyo State on Monday stormed the Governor Abiola Ajimobi campaign office which also serves as the party’s state secretariat at Oke-Ado area of Ibadan to protest alleged ploy by the governor and some leaders of the party to impose candidates for the forthcoming council election in the state.
According to the protesters numbering thousands, there were alleged plans by Governor Ajimobi to jettison conduct of primary election across the 33 local governments and the 35 Local Community Development Centres in the state and select his loyalists’ as candidates for the coming council polls.
New Nigerian reliably gathered that the angry protesters comprisd mainly of aspirants wishing to contest in the election but resolved to embark on the protest on sensing the alleged plans to impose candidates on the LGS and LCDAs across the state in the May 12 polls.
The protesters were emphasizing that there will be no local government election in the party without free, fair and credible primary which will encompass all groups within the party from wards to local governments, adding that they have uncovered an alleged plans by the governor to substitute the delegates’ list with his own people so that only those who are loyal to him can emerge as candidates of the party.
Armed with placards having inscriptions such as “Stop imposition of candidates Ajimobi”, “APC do not belong to SENACO alone”, “No credible no election” as well as chanting series of unprintable words, the protesters blocked the Molete-Oke Ado- Dugbe Road for several hours.
However, the protesters were hurriedly dispatched by men of the Oyo state security joint patrol team “Operation Burst” that invaded the area with the threat of shooting any of the protesters that dares continue with the protest at the APC secretariat .
Also, journalists at the scene were not spared of the threat as they were ordered to leave the area or be dealt with by the security men attached to the area.
Commenting on the protest, Oyo State APC Secretary, Mr. Mojeed Olaoya allegef that journalists were mobilised and sponsored to monitor the protest by some aggrieved members of the party and that he was surprised to see journalists bombarding the secretariat to monitor the protest to show their being biased whereas
according to him, “no journalist” was at the APC secretariat the two times when the governor was at the secretariat to address members of the party on the proposed local government election.
“When the governor was here to address party members on the proposed local government election, none of you were here, now that some members of the party that have benefitted immensely from the party, Fatai Ibikunke and Wasiu Olatunbosun who have benefited from the party are now sponsoring some people against the party and the governor”.
