The All Progressives congress (APC) has rescheduled its disrupted Ekiti governorship primary.
The primary, stalled due to violence on Saturday, will now hold on May 11.
The publicity secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this known while addressing journalists at its headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
The election committee for the primary on Monday submitted its report.
About 33 aspirants including two former governors and three former senators are vying for the ticket of the APC.
Mr Abdullahi announced that the secretary of the election committee has also been removed.
After reviewing the report submitted by the election committee on Monday, the party said it had cancelled Saturday’s botched exercise and will hold a fresh one. The spokesperson said agents of aspirants identified to have disrupted the previous process are barred from further participating in whatever capacity.
However, all the aspirants will be allowed to participate, he said.
Other resolutions the party made are that agents’ tags will bear the names of the aspirants they represent; agents will no longer come in with their mobile phones, and aspirants will not be allowed to move around during the primary
The spokesperson said the decision to allow all the aspirants participate in the rescheduled primary is to give a level playing ground due to the time limit. But the party warned that all necessary action would be taken after the primary against those indicted in the disruption of the previous exercise.
“Perhaps, more importantly is that the exercise of Saturday is cancelled and would now be conducted this Friday, 11th May, 2018,” the party spokesperson stated.
“The existing primary election committee is maintained, except the secretary who will now be substituted.”
He said the secretary’s substitution, however, in no way indicted him of compromise.
“Virtually all aspirants complained that the secretary has a close relationship with one of their colleagues and so we decided to drop him in order to guard the integrity of the process and not because he was found to have compromised.
“All Identified unruly agents that participated in the suspended primary election of 5′” May 2018 are disqualified from participating in the rescheduled primary as agents,” he said
The agents disqualified are Ayodeji Omowaye, Rotimi Faleye, Kayode Afolabi, Oladele Ademola Samuel, Oyetunde Ojo, Akintade Olayisade and Temitope Adewumi.
“All agent tags must bear the name of aspirants they represent. All agents in the rescheduled primary election are hereby barred from coming to the voting arena with their mobile phones.
“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.
“All aspirants would be held vicariously liable for the conduct of their agents. Names of the following aspirants would now be written in the following order as stated below: Ajayi Olatunji Olowo and Olubunmi Kayode.
“The NWC condemns the disruption of the Primary of 5th May and resolved that all found culpable, directly or indirectly will be punished in accordance with the relevant provisions of the party constitution,” the spokesperson said.
The total cancellation of the last Saturday’s exercise was initially opposed by one of the leading aspirants, Kayode Fayemi.
Mr Fayemi, the current minster of solid minierals, said he was in the lead before the primary was disrupted and that the already counted votes from delegates in four local governments be maintained. He blamed other aspirants for the disruption.
However, other aspirants including a former governor, Segun Oni, accused the election committee of bias and working to favour Mr Fayemi.
About 22 of the aspirants signed a petition to the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, as well as leaders of the party, stating fresh conditions for a repeat of the primary.
The petition addressed to the NWC, was also copied to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.
The petitioners alleged that some members of the NWC who were part of the organising committee of the primary, were glaringly biased and contributed to the violence that disrupted the primary.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Tinubu and other South-west leaders of the APC held a meeting with the aspirants in Abuja on Tuesday.
