A
abujagirl
Guest
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ward congresses scheduled for Wednesday in Ekiti could not hold due to protests by some party members. The exercise was scheduled for 4:30pm in all 177 wards in the state.
Trouble started at about 8a.m. when persons alleged to be supporters of some governorship aspirants stormed the state Secretariat of the party in Ado-Ekiti. More than 100 supporters carrying placards barricaded the entrance to the secretariat chanting solidarity songs.
The five-man PDP delegation sent from its national secretariat to conduct the congress and materials for the congress was trapped in the secretariat.
The protesters said they would not allow the Abuja delegates to leave the secretariat with the materials nor allow them to conduct the congress.
The national officers, however, left the secretariat at about 2p.m, under the watchful eyes of armed policemen.
The congress was also disrupted at the Local Government Secretariat of the in Ado-Ekiti. Hoodlums invaded the venue, smashing plastic chairs, sliding doors and windows.
Alhjai Tajudeen Arowolo, the party’s Returning Officer for the local government, said the ward congress could not hold due to the violence.
"As far as I am concerned, the ward congress remains cancelled and not conducted today",Arowolo stated.
Leader of the protesters, Ikusemilori Olu told newsmen that they were against the ward congress and primary elections as the means of picking the party's candidates. He accused a former governor of the state as being the major proponent of primary election. He said the former governor was not a genuine card carrying member of the party and had no rights to dictate to its national headquarters.
Trouble started at about 8a.m. when persons alleged to be supporters of some governorship aspirants stormed the state Secretariat of the party in Ado-Ekiti. More than 100 supporters carrying placards barricaded the entrance to the secretariat chanting solidarity songs.
The five-man PDP delegation sent from its national secretariat to conduct the congress and materials for the congress was trapped in the secretariat.
The protesters said they would not allow the Abuja delegates to leave the secretariat with the materials nor allow them to conduct the congress.
The national officers, however, left the secretariat at about 2p.m, under the watchful eyes of armed policemen.
The congress was also disrupted at the Local Government Secretariat of the in Ado-Ekiti. Hoodlums invaded the venue, smashing plastic chairs, sliding doors and windows.
Alhjai Tajudeen Arowolo, the party’s Returning Officer for the local government, said the ward congress could not hold due to the violence.
"As far as I am concerned, the ward congress remains cancelled and not conducted today",Arowolo stated.
Leader of the protesters, Ikusemilori Olu told newsmen that they were against the ward congress and primary elections as the means of picking the party's candidates. He accused a former governor of the state as being the major proponent of primary election. He said the former governor was not a genuine card carrying member of the party and had no rights to dictate to its national headquarters.