By Rotimi Ojomoyela

Ado-Ekiti—GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has explained the reason for the adoption of Option A4 by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for its primaries to select candidates for the coming local government election, saying it was borne out of the need to allow transparency in the process.

This came as  Prince Adedayo Adeyeye’s campaign organisation faulted Fayose’s move, describing it as a breach of PDP’s constitution.

Fayose

Governor Fayose, who spoke during the commencement of the exercise, in Ado Ekiti, explained that the system would also give room for the most popular candidates to win.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, yesterday, the governor was quoted as saying that Option A4 would also help reduce acrimony as whoever loses would know he lost in a free and fair process.

He said: “We want a transparent process to select our candidates and we don’t want to have serious issues as fallout of the exercise. If a person loses and sees that there was a level playing field, his complaints and grievances would be minimal.

“To ensure fairness in accreditation of those to vote, you have to come with your party membership card and voter card. Apart from that, party executives in each ward as well as aspirants will be at the gate to identify voters before they come in. Any situation where people cannot identify a voter as being a member of their wards, such a person is not allowed in,” he noted.

Option A4 is an electoral system made popular during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida where voters would openly queue behind their preferred candidates.

On the decision by the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, to take part in the December 23, 2017  poll, Fayose said it was a welcome development, though he added that the party was up to some mischief.

He gave the assurance that the main poll would also be free and fair.

Meanwhile, only seven out of the 13 wards in Ado Local Government were concluded, while all the seven chairmanship aspirants from the LG were disqualified.

A statement by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr Jackson Adebayo, said they were disqualified for gross misconduct.

The party said those interested in contesting should collect the nomination form before  Friday  and pay the mandatory fees.

Adeyeye reacts

Reacting to the development, the Campaign organisation of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye condemned the primary, calling on the national leadership of the party to quickly come to the rescue of the party in the state.

Publicity Secretary of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Mr Niyi Ojo, described the local government primary, held in the government house premises and supervised by Governor Fayose, as clear breach of the party’s constitution.

The statement reads: “The national leadership of our great party should quickly come to the rescue of the party in Ekiti State before Governor Fayose destroys the party.”