Members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ondo State on Thursday protested the disqualification of aspirants seeking the party’s nod to contest the 2027 election on the platform of the party.
Armed with different placards, members of the party insisted that the disqualification of the aspirants was tainted with bribery. They said they would dump the party if the decision to disqualify a leading aspirant is not reversed by the party.
The protesters who stormed the popular Oyemekun Road the disqualification of Oluwafemi Balogun were against the constitution of the ADC and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking with reporters, a leader of the ADC, Mrs Akinyemi Abimbola, said they were ready for the primary to select House of Assembly candidates when they heard of the disqualification of Oluwafemi Balogun, whom they had planned to vote for in the primary.
Akinyemi said they were preparing for the primary election until late Wednesday night when they heard about the disqualification of Balogun, whom they said contested as the candidate of the party in the 2023 election.
He said, “There is going to be a primary election, and every one of us should go and prepare. Till 12 am yesterday, we were still there, collating, working for our candidate. When we got to the party secretariat this morning, one of the chairmen from Ward 9 told us there was no election.
“This is what we have been fighting for outside the party. We want Nigeria to be good; that is why we are looking for somebody like Oluwafemi Balogun. No BAFEM, no election.
“We all agreed that there is going to be a primary election today. And all the leaders assured us that there is going to be a primary election between the two qualified candidates. And suddenly, overnight, at 12 am, we saw a message telling us that BAGEM was not qualified because of NIN. And this NIN is not the qualification in the new electoral act.
“We leave the PDP because of this issue of the issue of imposition. Otunba Omolade Oluwateru and others gang themselves that we should boycott the election. That’s why we left the party and came to the ADC.”
Balogun, in his speech, said there was no reason to disqualify him as he presented all the documents requested from him by the committee sent from the National Secretariat.
Balogun said he presented his NIN through which he opened bank accounts and his tax clearance as a citizen of the state. He wondered the reason for his disqualification had met the criteria set up during the screening exercise.
He added, ” I have the NIN, and I showed them. Without NIN, I cannot do the membership card, I cannot open a bank account, and I showed them everything. That is how they normally do, we cannot allow that because, in 2019, I was the candidate of this party.
“I did not see anybody from there joining us. But now, they believe that they can use their power to impose a non-indigene as a candidate. We cannot allow it. Akure is for Akure people, not for outsiders.”
The state Chairman of the party, Chief Bahorun Tola Alabere, told the protesters to approach the appeal committee for redress and not to block the major Street of the state capital.
He said those disqualified should approach the organs of the party for redress instead of protesting and casting the party in a bad light in public.
