Ondo primary: Violence rocks Akoko as Ex-Speaker leads protesters against Akeredolu, insist on fresh election

For the second day running, residents of Ikare in the Akoko Northeast local government area of Ondo State continued their protest against the defeat of their son, Dr Segun Abraham at the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary held at the weekend.

The protesters mainly youths, market women and traditionalists brought unusual masquerades and traditionally sealed up residential houses and business concerns of people perceived to have voted against Abraham.

This development came as outcry over the emergence of Mr Rotimi Akeredolu SAN as the candidate of the party thickened. Already the Chairman of the party in Ondo East Local Government, Mr Temitope Akintunde had accused some leaders of the party of corruption in order to cover up the alleged malpractices during the primary election.

Akintunde insisted that he and the Chairman of the party in Ondo West, Mr Adeola Ademulegun had on the day of the primary petitioned the Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubarkar over an alleged delegates swapping and other malpractices in the election.

He said supporters of Akeredolu had been reaching out to party leaders in order to withdraw petitions against the outcome of the election, insisting that nothing would make him drop the agitation until justice was done to their petitions.

The protesters in Ikare- Akoko according to a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Taofiq Abdulsalam had the backings of two traditional rulers in the town, Olukare, Oba Akadiri Momoh and Owa Ale, Oba Samuel Adedoyin Adegbite as protesters sealed off those perceived as Abraham’senemies with palm leaves.