From Abiola Alo, Ado Ekiti
|
An Ekiti based political group, Atunse Ekiti Movement, has backed the national leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) on the suggestion of direct primary for the election of party candidates in the future election.

The group, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the party, Com. Adams Oshimhole, for taken the action which will go a long way in reducing monetization of electoral processes and returning the APC to the people, who are the real owners.

It also praised the Ekiti APC Council of Elders for meddling in the suit filed by Oni challenging the eligibility of the governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to participate in the party’s primary on account of his refusal to resign 30 days before the election as a Minister in Buhari’s cabinet.

The Council , had  at a meeting presided over by its Chairman George Akosile in Igbara Odo last Friday,appealed to Oni to withdraw the suit in the spirit of unity.

In a statement signed  by former member of the House of Representatives and Director General of Segun Oni campaign organization, Dr. Ife Arowosoge after its meeting on Monday, the group said they won’t allow anyone to pocket the APC and  run it like a personal fiefdom in Ekiti.

Part of the resolutions reached, according to Arowosoge was that; “they adopted the Direct  Primary option for all elective offices in Ekiti State as approved by the National Executive Committee which was contained in the signed release of the Acting National publicity Secretary ,Mr Yekini Nabena .

“Members were urged to resist any attempt at imposing Indirect Primary as is being rumoured  because it is subject to manipulation and corruption”.

“Members of APC were therefore advised to go home and work with other leaders in their various wards to come out with unity or consensus list where possible and where consensus is not workable, interested aspirants should obtain nomination forms from  State Secretariat of the party to contest for any positions of their choice.

“Not making nomination forms available to all aspirants is seen as a way  to rig the election and as such, the State Executive Committee under chairman Jide Awe should please ensure that nomination forms

are made available to all aspirants nobody should be deprived of his or her right to contest for any of the positions stipulated by the party’s constitution”.

On the eligibility suit against Fayemi, Arowosoge said Oni shouldn’t be blamed over the pending case against the governor-elect.

“The Elders were told that representatives of Atunse Ekiti Movement had earlier met with  the Deputy National Chairman, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and other Southwest members of the National Working Committee on the same issue and that Otunba Adeniyi promised to facilitate a meeting between our group and Dr Fayemi.

“The question begging for answer now is why has the meeting promised by Otunba not taken place up till today after over two months of that promise?

“The meeting was surprise that despite the intervention of Otunba Adebayo and that of the elders to ensure amicable settlement, Dr. Fayemi has hitherto maintains complete silence on the matter. What then does anybody expect us to do?”, he asked.

Arowosoge said any attempt to manipulate the primary or compile the list of would-be National and State Assembly members in 2019 would not be tolerated saying only a credible and acceptable direct primary will be accepted to elect the candidates where consensus failed.

“We warned that if it is true that the would-be party state chairman has been allocated to a person in Gbonyin, the Secretary to another person in Oye Local Government, and that the list of the 26 members of

the State House of Assembly has already been compiled  even before the primary election is conducted and also the would- be Speaker of the House has been allocated to a person in Ikere and all of these are happening without the knowledge of major stakeholders in the party, then the elders should know that democratic institution is fast being destroyed in our dear State”, he stated.