Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The Appeal Panel set up by the national caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, concluded its seating in Ekiti on a note that the appelant’s allegations were weighty and cannot be swept under carpet.
The panel, headed by Chief Iyiola Oladokun and four others began its hearing of the single petition received from party members who claimed that the conduct of the ward congresses in Ekiti State was shoddy and could only pass for a charade.
The petitioners, under the aegis of South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA), have been complaining of witch hunt from a rival group loyal to the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, christened the ‘ tokan-tokan’ group.
SWAGA had filed petition to claim that its members were railroaded upon to compile lists of the tokan-tokan loyalists for the just concluded congresses without recourse to stipulated rules, as mapped out by the national caretaker committee of the party.
Some of the discrepancies reeled out by SWAGA, were the unilateral selection of ward Congress committee by the governor’s group, without due input from a large number of state’s party stakeholders, denial of forms for some aspiring members to contest in the ward congresses, flagrant distortions of rules and sundry manipulations, skewed to entrench sectional and perpetual grip on the party’s soul by the tokan-tokan’ group.
The panel, after listening to the allegations, expressed satisfaction with the presentation of the SWAGA group but noted that it was hindered by the non appearance of the Ekiti State Ward Congress committee which ought to defend the claims.
The panel, comprising of Oladokun, as Chairman, Hon Abdulahi Sadiq, Secretary, Hon Chiedu Eluemunoh, Saratu Sabo and Talatu Nasir, as members, concluded their seatings on Wednesday, with assurances that it would be fair in treating the petition.
