×

APC, PDP Tell Different Versions Of Ekiti Altercation

Representatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, on Wednesday gave different accounts of the altercation which … Continue reading APC, PDP Tell Different Versions Of Ekiti Altercation


Bimbo DaramolaRepresentatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, on Wednesday gave different accounts of the altercation which occurred between their members on Sunday.

Appearing as a guest on Sunrise Daily, the Director General of Kayode Fayemi Election Campaign, Bimbo Daramola, said members of the APC had embarked on an activation programme, to “sweep away anything that does not align with what we believe in”, following a PDP rally which President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo had attended, to endorse Ayo Fayose, for the June governorship elections.

According to Daramola, the President had not said anything about the people of Ekiti and their challenges, and that his promise of “One Man, One Vote” was sin qua non.

“The people were wondering why he came to town if he had not been there in 3 years,” he said, noting that that led to the decision of the APC led government to “sweep away all what Sunday presented.”

It was a local activation, he said, and “when that finished, they were about turning away to disperse” but “they (the police) started shooting teargas at harmless, innocent people.”

“It got very riotous and the governor had to show up and he got tear-gassed.”

Asked if the Party had gotten permission from the police for the activity, Daramola stated they had policemen with them and they did not need to get permission, since “it was a peaceful activation, and not a rally”.

Asked if the governor would have showed up if PDP or any other party had been the one conducting the activation, Daramola said there had been no such incidence of violence, in 3 years.

Daramola also questioned the reason why the leader of the MOPOL would threaten to arrest the governor when we visited the scene of violence; following allegations that VP Sambo had said “elections in Ekiti would be war”.

Although the party had been asked to submit its diary concerning election campaigns, Daramola said the activity was as a response to the PDP rally.

On the other hand, Deputy Chairman, Media and Publicity, Ayo Fayose Campaign Committee, Leke Olayinka, who gave his account of the incident via telephone, said “it is the highest level of irresponsibility for some people to come out and say they want to sweep away the leg of the President and Vice President of Nigeria.”

He alleged that the APC group had attacked people wearing the Ayo Fayose campaign shirt, during their rally and over 10 motocycles were burnt by the group, noting that the affected communities were forced to retaliate.

He claimed that the governor had ignored honest advise of the Police to stay away but had gone ahead to provide security for APC thugs.

He also said the individual who got shot during the fracas, was shot in the head by an APC thug, called Agbara and had been covered with an APC shirt to make it seem that their member had been shot.

Olayinka disclosed that the victim, Taiwo Akinola, was on his way to work, from Church, when he met his maker unexpectedly.

“The okadaman (who was carrying Taiwo Akinola) escaped” and he had been the one to give details about the dead victim, he said.

He disclosed that Taiwo Akinola was on the way to the hotel where he worked as a security official and was not an APC member.

Daramola however countered Olayinka’s claim, noting that Taiwo Akinola’s father was a card-carrying member of the APC and had a political appointment at the ward level, in Odo Owa local government.

He denied that the APC shirt had not been worn on the corpse by supporters of the party.