Dozens of police personnel from the Nigerian Police Force(NPF) have been deployed at the national secretariat of the country’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the swearing-in of the party’s newly appointed members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday August 24, 2023.
The battle-ready police officers have strategically been positioned along the entrances of Blantyre Street, housing the headquarters of the party, as hundreds of the protesters looked undeterred by their presence.
The arrival of Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, in the early hours of the morning contributed to heightening the tension around the secretariat.
The cause of the tension was the announcement of Mary Alile Idele, from Edo State as National Women Leader (South South Zone), the candidate of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, instead of Dr Stella Odey-Ekpo, the candidate of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Beta Edu.
The ruling party had equally settled for Duro Meseko (Kogi State) as the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary (North Central Zone) to replace Yakubu Ajaka, as allegedly recommended by James Faleke against the candidate recommended by Governor Bello.
Shortly after the announcement, Edu, the former Woman Leader, stormed the national secretariat around 6.20 pm to protest the dropping of her candidate, who had already practically resumed office and left 45 minutes after.
Determined to push his case to a logical conclusion, Governor Bello, who arrived the secretariat on G-Wagon told newsmen that he won’t bulge until the mistake is corrected, stressing; “This issue must be sorted out today.”
Already, the protesters have defied the presence of the gun-wielding police officers, causing vehicular and human traffic.
