Despite the riot act read Friday to all its chieftains in all the states across the country, violence, protest and boycott marred Saturday’s ward congresses in several state chapters of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Against the directive of the party leadership, parallel congresses were also held in many of the states. Some of the states where chaos was recorded include Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, and Imo states.

In Ekiti State, violence in Ikere-Ekiti allegedly led to the death of a party member while several others were allegedly injured when supporters of the state Governor Kayode Fayemi and those of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, reportedly clashed.

The APC national leadership had in a preemptive move Friday read the riot act to its chieftains against the conduct of parallel congresses in the states, threatening to sanction members who conduct parallel congresses.

The secretary of the National Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, in a notice, said the party would invoke necessary disciplinary measures on those who hold parallel congresses.

He reminded party members of the National Executive Committee’s resolution of December 8, 2020, which directed members not to take the party to court unless they had exhausted “the internal mechanism for conflict resolution, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.”

Akpanudoedohe said, “For the purpose of clarity, may I restate the relevant point in the resolution to wit: All pending litigations instituted by members against the party should be withdrawn forthwith, and going forward, no member should institute matters against the party, without exhausting the internal mechanism for conflict resolution, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.

“Consequent upon the above, party members should please note that all activities that may be carried out by persons to put the party and its officers in a bad light, before, during and after the congresses should be jettisoned; all activities or processes leading up to the congresses and thereafter, which do not have the approval of the CECPC are exercises in futility. This is to say that any purported parallel congress, parallel party organ and or parallel party office, is, to say the least, a nullity. These divisive activities will not be tolerated.”

He added, “For the avoidance of doubt, the party shall deploy the full weight of the law as stipulated in section 21(D) of our party’s Constitution on anyone who perpetrates such unlawful Act(s) and also on their sponsors.”

However, several state chapters of the party Saturday defied the party’s directives, conducting parallel congresses marred by violence and boycott.

Abiodun, Amosun, Akala, Dare’s supporters hold factional elections

In Ogun State, supporters of Governor Dapo Abiodun, and his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, produced two results in each of the 236 wards during Saturday’s congresses.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that a party member was injured when loyalists from both camps clashed at Ward 11 in Abeokuta South Local Government Area.

There was also tension when the Abiodun’s loyalists allegedly chased away a former member of the House of Representatives, Mikky Kazeem, from a ward in Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

Kazeem, who is one of Amosun’s aides, in a viral video, was seen humiliated when he allegedly left his ward for another venue of the congress within the area.

One of our correspondents who monitored the exercise in the state observed that party leaders from both Abiodun and Amosun’s camps stormed their wards with prepared lists of executives, which were adopted after the headcounts of the party members in attendance.

In some wards, the two camps used separate venues apparently to avoid a clash between the different groups.

In Iperu Ward 3 in Ikenne Local Government Area, Abiodun took part in the congress, describing the exercise as peaceful.

The governor said the congress in his ward was a consensus arrangement that was ratified through an electoral process, assuring party faithful that he would ensure that the ward was empowered to perform its duties.

“What we did here today was in line with what the Caretaker Extraordinary Committee on Convention Planning has prescribed that we do in order to put our house in order in APC,” he said.

Meanwhile, the APC National Committee for Ward Congress in the state declared that there was no parallel congress in the state.

The committee chairman, Wale Ohu, said, “Ogun State congress today (Saturday) was very peaceful in the sense that the people behaved well. They conducted themselves well. It was rancour-free and there was a large turnout of party members and it has been concluded accordingly.”

Similarly, in Oyo State, the crisis in the state chapter of the APC came to the fore as party members loyal to the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, and those loyal to former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala held different ward congresses in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

The two APC leaders and the chairman of the party in the state, Chief Akin Oke, are all from Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

A former Vice Chairman, Ogbomoso Central Local Council Development Authority, Chief Ademola Olawale, told Sunday PUNCH that two parallel congresses were held to elect new party officials in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

He said, “We held parallel congresses in Ogbomoso North Local Government. Those who belong to Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala held their congress and those of us who belong to the minister, Sunday Dare, held our congress at the collation centre, which is the right place.”

A party chieftain, Dawud Sulayman, also confirmed that different ward congresses were conducted in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

Sulayman stated that the congress conducted by Akala’s loyalists violated the party’s guidelines.

However, the Secretary, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC in Oyo State, Mr Olawale Shadare, said no parallel congresses were held.

But he said the party would look into the crises in some wards.

Also, in Abia State, the APC on Saturday organised parallel ward congresses as a leadership crisis continues to rock the party in the state.

The congresses came barely two days after the party re-affirmed the suspension of its chieftain, Chief Ikechi Emenike.

Emenike is the leader of a faction of the party, challenging the Donatus Nwankpa-led executive committee.

Tinubu, Fayemi supporters’ fracas claims one in Ekiti, score injured

Meanwhile, violence erupted in some wards in Ekiti State during the ward congresses across the 16 council areas of the state.

Multiple sources alleged that a person who sustained injuries in the violence that erupted in one of the wards in Ado Ekiti died at the hospital while others were receiving treatment following injuries sustained.

“After the congress was concluded at Ward 10, there was a disagreement among some members which led to violence. One of them, simply identified as Jide, was stabbed and rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead,” a source said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, confirmed the killing.

He said, “When we got there, we were told that the person had been rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“From our findings, he was beaten with a charm and investigations have commenced towards arresting the perpetrators.”

The violence was caused by members of a group loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi called Fayemi Tokan Tokan and another group loyal to the APC National Leader, Tinubu, called South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA).

The Fayemi group embraced consensus for the exercise while SWAGA advocated voting.

The disagreement between the groups culminated in violence during which political thugs allegedly unleashed on the members, with many sustaining injuries and vehicles destroyed.

Among wards where violence broke out in Ado Ekiti were wards 4, 8, 9 and 10, where thugs allegedly went on the rampage and disrupted voting.

SWAGA state chairman, Senator Tony Adeniyi, who bemoaned the violence during the congresses, said, “There was no election today in Ekiti because there was no accreditation across the wards.

“I can confirm to you that there was violence in Ikere-Ekiti. There was violence in virtually all the wards in Ado-Ekiti and several people were wounded. In Ward 10, someone was killed. Is that how to conduct a congress?”

Also, a governorship aspirant, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, who had on Friday raised the alarm over the possibility of parallel congresses, said, “As I predicted on Friday, there was no election today. What we saw were thugs moving around the wards.”

“This is not a democracy and our politicians have not learnt any lesson and it is unfortunate. We await what the National Secretariat will do,” Famuyibo added.

But the state APC Caretaker Publicity Secretary, Ade Ajayi, said, “I can tell you that nobody was deprived of their right at the congress today and it is our hope that it will be an acceptable one by the stakeholders.”

SWAGA state chairman, Senator Tony Adeniyi, who bemoaned the violence during the congresses, said, “There was no election today in Ekiti because there was no accreditation across the wards.

“I can confirm to you that there was violence in Ikere-Ekiti. There was violence in virtually all the wards in Ado-Ekiti and several people were wounded. In Ward 10, someone was killed. Is that how to conduct a congress?”

Also, a governorship aspirant, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, who had on Friday raised the alarm over the possibility of parallel congresses, said, “As I predicted on Friday, there was no election today. What we saw were thugs moving around the wards.”

“This is not a democracy and our politicians have not learnt any lesson and it is unfortunate. We await what the National Secretariat will do,” Famuyibo added.

But the state APC Caretaker Publicity Secretary, Ade Ajayi, said, “I can tell you that nobody was deprived of their right at the congress today and it is our hope that it will be an acceptable one by the stakeholders.” (Excerpted from a Sunday PUNCH report)

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