The primary election scheduled to produce the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti State for the July 14 governorship poll was yesterday truncated by men suspected to be party agents who were uncomfortable with what they termed to be underhand dealings during the exercise.
The delegates were voting peacefully and four local government areas had already voted when suddenly the suspected party thugs made for some of the ballot boxes and smashed them while security operatives merely watched the unfolding drama.
The development shocked many observers and party men who angrily left the venue of the exercise, Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado Ekiti.
The Chairman, Ekiti APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, and his team retired to a closed door meeting with the aspirants with a view to finding the way forward.
After about two hours of the meeting, Al-Makura came out to announce that the exercise has been cancelled indefinitely.
Trouble started when agents of some strong contenders fingered the security agencies of allegedly compromising the process in favour of former Governor Kayode Fayemi.
Hell was let loose at about 5:30p.m, when some agents raised observations about how the process was being allegedly compromised, accusing the men of the Department of State Services (DSS) of dictating to delegates who they should vote for.
Police and other security agencies shot sporadically into the air when the situation was escalating into a full-scale fracas among the camps.
As of the time of filing this report, the venue of the exercise, had become scanty as delegates had escaped to seek refuge in the nearby buildings.
The agents were those representing Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Ayo Arise, Hon Femi Bamisile and other strong contenders in the race.
Efforts made by Al-Makura to calm down frayed nerves were rebuffed.
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-Sun
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