The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) worsened Monday as some aggrieved members of the party sealed the party secretariat with fetish objects and sacrifices.
The residents and office owners around Oyemekun Road in Akure, the state capital, woke up to meet fetish objects placed at the gate leading to the party secretariat.
One of the aggrieved party members told journalists that the objects were placed at the party secretariat in order to prevent a meeting between the state chairman, Hon. Isaacs Kekemeke, and the executive from holding.
He said as long as the chairman has been removed by the State Executive Committee (SEC), they would use everything within their power to make sure the removal stands. Some aggrieved members of the party have claimed that the chairman has been removed from office and appointed Ade Adetimehin, the deputy chairman as his replacement.
This has led to clashes among pro and anti-Kekemeke groups for the past two weeks. But instead of clashing, they used traditional means to seal the party secretariat located at the popular Oyemekun Road.
The objects used by the aggrieved members included goat and dog heads, red, white and black cloths, local pap, salt and some cash prepared.
These objects were put in a plate, sprinkled with palm oil, while palm laced with fetish objectsleaves were tied at the entrance of the office from one end of the gate to other signifying the traditional sealing off of the premises.
This development prevented the office and secretariat staff of the party from gaining entry while the party’s secretariat was turned to a centre of attraction.
Some of the staff who wanted to forcefully enter the office were cautioned by some traditionalists who explained that the palm leaves tied around the gate signified ‘no entry’.
However, the objects were cleared by some people under the watch of security operatives before the gate leading to the office was opened about 11:30a.m. After the gate was forcibly opened, some pastors were seeing sanctifying the gate with anointing oil and water.
Kekemeke described the development as part of the antics of the detractors to further destabilise the party before they would eventually decamp to another party.
He said the activities of the people are seen as a handshake beyond the elbow, saying it is going beyond a mere crisis within the party, but an attempt to kill the party in the state.
Kekemeke said the objects and action of the people should be seen as desecration of the culture of the land and said whosoever is behind the atrocity should face the wrath of the land.
The Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, condemned the activities of the party members who used the traditional palm fronds, which is the traditional means of sealing off premises in Akureland to seal off the APC secretariat.
In a statement issued and signed by the monarch’s Chief Press Secretary, Adeyeye Michael, the traditional ruler said using such method to seal off premises remains the prerogative of the Palace only.
“The Deji of Akure remains non-partisan and a father to all political aspirants and never authorised such and wishes to inform the general public that such act did not emanate from the palace.
“We wish to inform you that any attempt to desecrate the tradition will be vehemently rebuffed. “It is certain that those who carried out this condemnable act are not aware of the cultural and traditional implications of this action.
“The palace is apolitical and, therefore, should not be dragged into the internal wrangling of any party. We want to state without mincing words that the palace has nothing to do with and equally condemns it in its entirety.”
Oba Aladetoyinbo said the palace has directed its emissaries to carry out an investigation on the development, saying, “We are confident that the culprits will be apprehended in no distant time.”
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