There was drama at the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, as the Olajide Awe-led exco resumed office, two days after scores of party members invaded the place and shut it down.
To facilitate their return, supporters of the Awe-led exco had removed a big pot of fetish objects and palm fronds placed at the gate prior to their arrival. The fetish objects were thrown to the road. They also smeared the ground with salt to ‘cleanse’ the place and neutralize the effect of the charms that had just been removed.
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Addressing a news conference shortly after regaining office, Awe said the rain that fell on the day the fetish objects were placed at the secretariat had “turned the evil on those who put it there”.
Motorists and motorcyclists avoided the objects placed in the centre of the road.
Following last weekend’s botched governorship primary, some party members had stormed the secretariat and declared the Awe-led exco. They also ‘installed’ a caretaker committee led by the APC Chairman in Ise/Orun Local Government, Mr. Kayode Egunjobi, to run the affairs of the party for three months.
They accused Awe of collecting a bribe of N75 million from Governor Ayo Fayose, to bungle the May 5 primary. They also accused the party leadership of favouring a particular aspirant and embezzling party funds.
Awe said the action of those who invaded the secretariat and ‘sacked’ the duly-elected exco constituted a breach of party constitution and gross indiscipline. He said he and his exco went to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja to brief the leaders at the centre on the crisis, adding that a Disciplinary Committee has been set up to investigate those directly and remotely linked with the ‘coup’.
He said his exco also met with the Chairman of the Ekiti Governorship Primary Electoral Committee, Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on the modalities for the conduct of a fresh primary.
In a related development, some leaders of the Ekiti APC have kicked against the use of direct primary for the conduct of the rescheduled primary slated for Friday.
In a letter addressed to Al-Makura, dated May 9, a copy of which was made available to our reporter on Wednesday, they said the use of direct primary was against the principle of fairness and justice to change the rules in the middle of the game.
The letter was also copied the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the National Working Committee (NWC).