The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress assumed another dimension yesterday as one person was killed in Ekiti State while parallel Ward Congresses were held in Osun and Ogun states. The deceased, identified as Jide was stabbed to death in Ado (Ekiti) Ward 10 while the congress was rounding off. A source at the venue of the congress at the Pavilion, close to the popular Adekunle Fajuyi area, said, ” After the congress was concluded, the boys who were on drugs had disagreement among themselves and before you know it, it turned to free for all. “Jide was stabbed and rushed to the General Hospital where he was confirmed dead.
When contacted the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sunday Abutu, confirmed the report, adding that they got a distress from the area that fight broke out one person was killed. In Rivers State, Magnus Abe asked members to boycott the congress, while the event did not hold in Bayelsa State due to a court injunction. This was in flagrant disobedience to the warning of the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) that no member of the party or group should hold any parallel Congress. The Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, in a two-page notice in Abuja, to all members on Friday, said such an individual or group risks being sanctioned.
In Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the warring political camps of Governor Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun held their congresses at different venues Sunday Telegraph Correspondent, who monitored the exercise in Abeokuta, observed that, party leaders from both camps stormed their wards with prepared list of executive Committee members and adopted it after the head count of the party members in attendance. A party member was reportedly injured when loyalists from both camps clashed at ward 11 in Abeokuta South Local Government Area. Also, both Abiodun and Amosun camps used separate venues in some areas, in order to avoid a clash between the warring groups. In Ward 14 Abeokuta South Local Government Area, Amosun’s loyalists had their congress at St Louis Secondary School, Onikoko, while Abiodun’s camp held theirs at Anglican High School, Ibara. Our correspondent also observed that the two camps came to the congress venues with a prepared list containing names of the executive committee members, and merely adopted them after head counts of members present. For Ward 14 of Abeokuta South LG, Amosun’s loyalists elected 27 – man executive committee members with Odesanya Clement as the chairman, while Abiodun’s loyalists equally announced 27 executive Committee members with Lasisi Taofeek as the ward chairman. The situation was the same in Ipokia Local Government Area of the state. In Ipokia Ward 1, Sunday Telegraph gathered that, the two groups had earlier converged on Ipokia Local Government Primary School,
Alaga for the congress. It was gathered that the Dapo Abiodun group later left the school premises for the party Secretariat at Aniwajoye House. Sunday Telegraph’s findings revealed that, the two groups held parallel congresses at Yewa North, Imeko Afon, Ado-Odo Ota and other parts of Ogun West Senatorial district. The governor said the Congress in his ward was a consensus arrangement which was ratified through an electoral process, assuring party faithful that he would ensure that the ward is empowered to perform its duties. However, the Chairman of the State Ward Congress Committee, Wale Ohu, insisted that there was no parallel election of party executives into the 236 wards throughout the state. Ohu, who made this declaration while briefing newsmen at the State Secretariat of the party, Iyana Mortuary, Abeokuta, equally submitted that the ward congress was conducted throughout the state without any hitch. In Osun State, the situation was not different as Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and his predecessor and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola also held their congresses at different venues.