Remi Koleoso, Ado Ekiti & Victor Oriola

SEVERAL members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ekiti were down with serious injuries yesterday, following bloody clashes sparked by the controversial dissolution of Local Government Councils in the state by the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and the swearing in of Caretaker Committees.

Members of the Caretaker Committee were sworn in on Monday, and immediately the 12 members of the ACN in the State House of Assembly sat without the 13 People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members, including the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olatunji Odeyemi.

Sign of the imminent crises over the composition of the Caretaker Committee members became noticeable, even while the ceremony was going on as one Hon. Adegoroye, who had mobilised supporters to Ado-Ekiti, in anticipation of his swearing in as the Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government stormed out of the venue in annoyance, when Hon. Kehinde Babatola was announced for the position.

Adegoroye, who had stormed the Jibowu Hall, Government House, Ado-Ekiti venue of the Swearing-in ceremony, cladding a flowing Agbada, and followed by drummers and praise singers was overheard threatening fire and brimstone over the appointment of Kehinde Babatola in his stead.

What happened in Ado-Ekiti was however a child’s play compared to the violent protest that erupted in Efon and Ise/Orun Local governments.

In Efon, where Joel Omoniyi was sworn in as the chairman, no fewer than 10 people were injured with machetes, while eight vehicles and several houses were destroyed.

The clash in Efon was between the two factions of the ACN in the town. The Oladapo Karounwi and Ronke Okusanya with Adio Folayan faction; Joel Omoniyi, an in-law of Karounwi belongs to the Karounwi/Okusanya faction.

Adio Folayan, who was the ACN chairmanship candidate, had tipped his vice, Engr. Adebowale Ojo, who was also said to be the preferred candidate of the majority of the party leaders and members as the chairman.

Chief J. O. Alake, a former Chairman of the Local Government, who is said to be the recognised leader of the party in Efon, was also said to have supported Engr. Ojo.

Among those whose properties were destroyed were Chief Dele Olowoyeye, who lost a Plasma TV and two vehicles parked in front of his house to the mayhem.

Others, who lost properties like houses and vehicles, included ACN Chairman in Efon, Prince Ademiju, whose house was vandalised; Afolabi Oloro, Femi Agbede, Funmilayo Ogedengbe, Akin Fadare, and Dokun Ayegbusi.

Omoniyi’s house situated along Ita-Awure road was also vandalised, while the controversial chairman was said to have narrowly escaped being lynched. Sources said he had to relocate to Ilesha for safety.

Several other people were injured while Chief Alawure Oluwadare, who received serious machete cuts, is now being treated at Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha, in Osun State.

Apart from Efon, there is said to be uneasy calm in Ise-Ekiti over the appointment of one Femi Ajayi, a Lagos supporter and financier of Fayemi as the chairman.

It however took the intervention of the Arinjale of Ise-Ekiti, Oba Ayodele Adetunji Ajayi, for a bloody clash to have been averted among the aggrieved parties on Monday and Tuesday.

The party’s chairmanship candidate, Bayo Idowu (aka Olotin), who belongs to the faction of Senator Lawrence Abegunde (LACO) had expected that he would be named the caretaker chairman, but was shocked when the name of Femi Ajayi was announced.

Apart from Idowu, others who also lobbied for the position included Bayo Akinola and Isaac Olajiga, the party’s secretary in the local government.

Idowu was said to have lost the chairmanship position because he belongs to the camp of LACO, who is regarded as a later day member of the ACN.

Also in Ekiti West Local Government, there is disquiet and allegation of marginalisation in Constituency II of the council area, which comprises of Okemesi and Ido-Ile as only two supervisory councillors were appointed from the Constituency, while Constituency I has the Caretaker chairman, Secretary, and three supervisory councillors.

Efforts to speak with Idowu, the state secretary of the ACN, failed as his mobile phone number was said to have been switched off, while one of the media aides to the governor who was contacted declined comment. He said that he did not have the authority to speak on such sensitive issue.

Meanwhile, the ACN has raised an alarm over plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to instigate chaos and instability in Ekiti State to justify the action being spearheaded by a PDP top brass in the South-west to use his clout to force the Federal Government to impose a state of emergency in the state.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the plans involve using the recent dissolution of local government council in Ekiti as a pretext to foment trouble throughout the state.

‘’In fact, we learnt that the PDP top gun, who is behind the devilish plans, has urged the PDP council officials who were lawfully sacked by the state government, to return to their posts, hoping this would help trigger enough trouble that he will now use as an excuse to prevail on the President to impose a state of emergency on the state,’’ it said.

ACN warned, however, that whoever tries to go along that dangerous path must be ready to impose a state on emergency on all of Nigeria.

‘’Ekiti, under the rule of the ACN, has never been more peaceful. Any attempt to foment trouble, therefore, will be resisted by the peace-loving but courageous and indefatigable people of the state. If the government has not deemed it fit to slam emergency rule on states like Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Abia where militancy and kidnapping are thriving, or states like Ogun and Oyo which have become hotbeds of political thuggery, why would anyone even brood such for a peaceful state like Ekiti?

‘’The only answer we can find right now is that the PDP is trying to get through the back door what it has failed to secure through the front door,’’ the party said.

ACN said if anyone or group feels that any law has been broken with the dissolution of the Ekiti councils and the appointment of caretaker committees for the councils, such person or group should head to court rather than taking to the streets. It advised the PDP to emulate it (the ACN), which has always resorted to the courts to resolve any political logjam.

‘’For over three years, we were in court in Ekiti and Osun states, seeking to use legal means to get back our mandates that were stolen by the PDP. All through those years, we never caused any trouble even for the illegitimate governments in place. This is how to grow democracy, ‘’ the party said.

ACN criticised the PDP lawmakers in Ekiti, who boycotted a session at which the governor’s lawful action was ratified by the House of Assembly.

According to the law, the governor can dissolve the councils and put in place caretaker committees in concurrence with the House of Assembly. This has been done!

‘’The decision by the PDP members of the Ekiti House of Assembly to boycott that sitting is in line with what the PDP has been doing in Edo State, where lawmakers have been boycotting Assembly sessions for the past six months, hoping this will grind the machinery of state. This is sheer irresponsibility and a manifestation of politics of brigandage on the part of the PDP. If any member of the house anywhere refuses to attend sessions, he or she should be recalled, and possibly charged with treason.

‘’But we want to put it on record that the sitting at which the Ekiti Governor received the nod of the Assembly was properly conducted by the Clerk of the House and in accordance with the law. Any party that feels otherwise should emulate the ACN and head to court, not to the streets.

‘That is how the ACN has been growing our nation’s democracy. For example, our party is outnumbered in Osun State House of Assembly, but we have always ensured that we will have our say, even if we can’t have our way. Ditto for the National Assembly and many other states. This is the way to go, and we call on the PDP to follow suit, instead of threatening fire and brimstone,’’ ACN said.

Source: http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69968:composition-of-acn-caretaker-committees-sparks-bloody-battle-in-ekiti&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

Are the ACN politicians fighting because of the people or their selfish selves?