The Muhammed Indabawa-led eight-man national electoral committee assigned to conduct governorship primaries of Ogun state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) could still postpone the said primaries based on security breach which occurred while the meeting of the committee and governorship aspirants were ongoing.
BusinessDay reports that the governorship primaries of APC were earlier scheduled to be conducted across 236 wards of Ogun state on Sunday 30th of September, 2018 but could not hold as scheduled due to logistics issue for which the committee tendered an unreserved apology during the meeting six governorship aspirants, including Bimbo Ashiru, Jimi Lawal, Gbenga Kaka, Dapo Abiodun, Abayomi Hunye and Adekunle Akinlade.
Our correspondent also gathered that though the eight-man committee arrived the state at about 7:45 pm on Monday for a meeting with governorship aspirants ahead of Tuesday 2nd of October, 2018 where modalities of the poll was to be discussed, the meeting did not start until about 10:30pm.
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While the meeting was ongoing however, the was pandemonium as supporters Dapo Abiodun and that of State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun’s annointed aspirant – Adekunle Akinlade clashed outside the venue of the meeting at the MITROS Residences, formerly Gateway Hotels Annex within GRA Ibara in Abeokuta.
The clash started when one Efele believed to be one of the supporters of Dapo Abiodun attacked one of Adekunle Akinlade’s boys which prompted a quick arrest of Efele and forceful dispersal of other guys loyal to Dapo Abiodun by Governor Amosun’s chief security officer who suddenly showed up at a meeting whose his principal was not a participant.
Immediately Efele was whisked away by team of policemen apparently with the order of the chief security officer another gang of political thugs being led by a serving member of the Federal House of Representatives (name withheld) who is one of Amosun’s point men, came into the venue of the meeting, shooting sporadically into the air.
The sporadic gunshots forced the meeting to stop abruptly as the eight-man APC national electoral committee hurriedly moved out of the venue in company of all the governorship aspirants except Adekunle Akinlade who was accompanied by his running mate, Adepeju Adebajo.
The sporadic gunshots which corroborated Governor Amosun’s statement earlier made during the day on the primaries – “keep your gun powder dry, we will mobilise you with necessary support when time comes, – lasted over one hour as journalists earlier invited for press briefing slated for 10pm, scampered for safety during the gunshots while the security apparatuses present at the scene were not doing anything to stop the rampaging, gun- wielding political thugs.
Earlier, Muhammed Indabawa who chairs the eight-man APC national electoral committee to the state, told the journalists, governorship aspirants and all members of the APC state executives present at the meeting that, he had all the necessary materials and document for the conduct of the primaries which would unveil the candidate of the party in Ogun state whom is expected to fly the flag of APC in the 2019 general elections.
RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta
