Crisis: Police summon Ekiti ACN, PDP chairmen

As the siege by some political thugs on members of the Ayodele Fayose Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in various Ekiti communities entered the third day yesterday, the state police commissioner, Mr Sotonye Wakama, has summoned the chairmen of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to a meeting.
The meeting, where leaders of the two political parties were told to call their members to order in a bid to ensure peace in the state, followed accusations and counter accusations by the two political parties over responsibilities for the invasion of the streets by thugs.
The presence of political thugs brandishing dangerous weapons yesterday on the streets of Ikere Ekiti where the Fayose Campaign Organisation meeting was billed to hold raised tension in the state as it was fast becoming a daily occurrence.
While the opposition camp said the ruling party was jittery and opted for violence to prevent PDP members from associating, the ACN blamed the situation on internal crisis rocking the PDP.
However, the state chairman of the ACN, Olajide Awe said he told the police yesterday that his party was not involved in the matter, adding that Fayose had unresolved differences with so many groups and individuals within the opposition PDP, which could be responsible for the attacks on him and his group.
The state chairman of the PDP, Makanjuola Ogundipe, who was also at the meeting with the police told journalists later that the attacks on his party members by ACN thugs were “because they are jittery of losing their jobs in 2014.”
Former Governor Fayose was able to attend yesterday’s meeting in Ikere Ekiti with the assistance of men of the State Security Services (SSS), who scared away the thugs who had laid siege on the town.
The Director General of the Fayose Campaign Organisation told journalists at Afao Ekiti yesterday that despite the intimidations, attacks and threats by ACN members, “our bid to reclaim Ekiti from the imperialistic tendencies is unrepentant”.