In Ekiti, It Was SWAGA vs Tokan Tokan, As APC Ward Congresses Collapses

Across Ekiti, the battle cry across APC wards in the state, was SWAGA as an irreverent opposition against Governor Fayemi’s “Tokan Tokan” grouping came out enmasse to resist the hijack of the party by the Governor’s goons.

Reports by correspondents in Ado, Ikere and Ikole, the three largest local governments in Ekiti indicate the Fayemi “Tokan Tokan” camp adopted familiar tactics of not allowing congress to hold, while claiming consensus, while teeming party members were prevented from freely holding congresses.

In Ikole Ekiti, at ward 3 – the teeming party members who declared their affiliation insisted that congress must hold while the “fayemi Tokan Tokan camp” resorted to violence. It was following the insistence of party elders that an open ballot count was conducted and it was clear the party votes was for the groundswell opposition to Governor Fayemi.

In Ward 6, of the same Ikole Ekiti, thugs were sent to prevent a gathering. This act was repeated in Ado Ekiti Ward 8 & 9, where thugs loyal to the deputy Governor and one Honourable Fatoba were sent to disrupt peaceful Ward congresses where chants of “SWAGA, SWAGA” rented the air.

This trend was following the initial efforts by Governor Fayemi to prevent free nomination and prevent sale of forms for Ward positions in the party in the run up to the congress, which was resisted by other political appointees from Ekiti at the party national secretariat

In Ikere Ekiti and in Ijero Ekiti our correspondents noted that party members enthusiastically showed up for the congress only to meet empty secretariats and assemblies, and gun toting thugs at various locations.

Despite the attempt by the leadership of the state to impose a consensus mode, it is clear that the progressives in the state under the APC SWAGA model wanted to vote, and results emerging seem they will get their wishes.

Morenike Aluko writes from Ado Ekiti