Ekiti guber primary turns violent as protesters halt voting

  The voting exercise in the  governorship primary  of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ekiti was disrupted on Saturday  by some protesters at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti,  venue of the exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports  that the protesters had alleged that attempts were being made by some party officials   to compromise the process.

The protest, which turned violent, led  party officials, aspirants and their followers as well as journalists  to run for safety as gunshots were heard in and around the stadium.

The Director General of  the Babafemi Ojudu Campaign Organisation, Chief Ranti Adebisi, also confirmed that there were suspicions that  the election was being compromised.

It was  not immediately clear if the primary election would  still go on as security agents were sighted trying to restore order at the stadium.

Gov.  Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa, who is leading the team  conducting the  primary election, had earlier told NAN  that the initial downpour would not  stop the exercise.

He had stressed  the readiness of his team to provide a level playing ground for all the 33 aspirants participating in the primary.

Almakura, however,  enjoined the aspirants  to maintain decorum throughout the period, saying nothing was too much to sacrifice in the interest of the party.

Opeyemi Bamidele, a former federal lawmaker and aspirant, also  told NAN that he was satisfied with the tight security arrangement put in place for the primary.

He also pledged his readiness to abide by the outcome of the exercise.

As at  the time of filing this report, voting which started at about  4:30 pm,  has  been suspended till further notice.