From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend turned a new dimension as its major governorship aspirants  threatened to decamp from the party and pitch their tents with another political party.

The aspirants include former governor Segun Oni, the Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, Biodun Olujimi, former Deputy Governor of the State Olusola Eleka, Mr Lateef Ajijola and Wale Aribisala.

They stoutly rejected the ward congress conducted by the National Working Committee of the party held in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend.

They accused the committee led by the Akwa Ibom State Governor , Emmanuel Udom, of allegedly working for one of the party leaders suspected to be former Governor Ayodele Fayose, to hijack the process.

Tension was said to have rose at the venue of the congress where the committee members from Abuja resided, as hordes of party members besieged the hotel to raise observations about how the process was being allegedly teleguided by the former governor.

There were heavy deployment of anti-riot policemen to GRA section of Ado Ekiti where Koltotel was located, while roads to the place were cordoned by combined forces of the police, Department of State Services and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The ward congress was to elect three adhoc delegates across the 177 wards to partake in the January 26 governorship primary of the party in Ekiti.

Expressing regret that the materials sent to the 177 wards were allegedly hijacked, former governor Oni, flanked by other governorship aspirants, described the situation as worrisome, saying he never expected such act to be happening in the PDP.

Oni said: “What you have seen today is laughable. And this is the standard we still are as a country. It is very unfortunate. There is nothing we can do other than to complain formally. We went upstairs and also told the acting Chairman  of the ward congress panel. I believe we cannot have democracy by hijack. If anybody is a muscle man, he should apply the muscle to winning people for the party.

Lending credence to what former governor Oni said, Olujimi regretted that the sordid scenario was a repeat of what transpired during the Congress of the party last year.

The Senator said: “This is what we have been fighting about that should not happen in PDP. Everything has been compromised. The results have been hijacked by compromise from the committee sent from Abuja. We are rejecting any purported”

The Secretary of the NWC congress Committee, Kola Ologbondiyan, who debunked the allegations, said the committee didn’t bend the rules to favour any of the factions, saying the accreditation and distribution of materials were done in the presence of all the aspirants.