Controversy on Sunday, September 30, 2018, enveloped the primaries of both the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State.
The APC at about 3 p.m. announced the indefinite postponement of the exercise in the state, after party members had gathered for hours at various venues across the state.
Earlier at about 10 a.m, Wole Elegbede, the Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, had sent messages to journalists to ignore rumoured postponement of the congress.
‘Kindly disregard the rumours that the Ogun APC governorship direct primary is not holding today. In view of the above, we urge all our loyal and dedicated members to mobilise fully for free, fair and successful governorship primary today as planned’, Mr Elegbede stated.
However, hours later at 3 p.m after many party members had dispersed from the venues across the state, the party spokesperson issued out another statement announcing the postponement of the congress.
‘This to inform all the APC party faithful in Ogun State that the governorship direct primary slated for today has been officially postponed. Further directives will be issued later pending clarification from National Working Committee,” Mr Elegbede wrote.
There had been confusion about the primaries across the state as the members sent by the national headquarters of the party to conduct of the exercise were not available.
At many of the wards, party members queued up amidst the rumours that the exercise had been postponed indefinitely.
At Igbore Town Hall, Ward 13 in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, the legal adviser of the party in the state, Tajudeen Bello, told Journalists that the primaries would still take place as at 2 p.m, although the membership register was not yet available.
He said he assured members that the register and officials would arrive but after waiting endlessly, the members started moving away.
At Ward 6, Itoko where Governor Ibikunle Amosun was to cast his vote, there was a mild violence following the attack on the ward chairman, Olanrewaju Olalekan, by suspected political thugs.
Narrating his ordeal to journalists, Mr Olalekan said they were preparing for the congress when the thugs stormed the venue asking for money and then descended on him. He, however, said the situation had been brought under control.
He also told journalists that the party members were still waiting for the membership register and officials to conduct the congress. It was 1p.m at the time he spoke.
Another chieftain of the APC, Afolabi Afuape, had also expressed optimism that the congress would still take place.
“We are still awaiting the membership register,” he said.
Mr Afuape, who is the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, said any member whose name was not in the register, even if he is the governor, would not be allowed to participate in the exercise.
In the PDP, there were parallel congresses, with one held by the sacked state executives led by Dayo Bayo. The faction loyal to the lone senator of the party from the state, Buruji Kashamu, held its own at the party secretariat in Abeokuta.
The other faction led by the recognised state chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, and loyal to Ladi Adebutu, a member of the House of Representatives who is eyeing the governorship ticket, held its own primary at the Marquee Events Centre within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
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