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The attempt by the
leadership of the Ogun State Chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) to impose State House of Assembly and House of Representatives
candidates, under the guise of consensus, has yesterday resulted into a
protest by party members.

Trouble started at
the party secretariat, located on Moshood Abiola Way, Abeokuta when the
national youth leader of the party, Segun Adesegun who claimed to be
representing the party hierarchy, started announcing the names of the
approved flagbearers for the race.

Mr Adesegun was
mid-way into announcing the list when tension from the restless party
supporters, mainly the youth, rose and started throwing stones into the
hall in protest against the arrangement said to have been concluded by
some leaders.

The protesters
disrupted the exercise, smashing the chairs, windows and the doors.
Sensing further danger, the party chairman, Tajudeen Bello and other
party leaders sneaked out through the back door to escape being lynched.

The presence of the
police at the venue did not stop the angry protesters from carrying out
their action, as the policemen just stood by watching the protesters.

Undemocratic arrangement

Some of the
protesters argued that the arrangement was not democratic and that they
will resist it till the state leadership of the party carries out a
proper congress.

‘We will not agree
with this ‘Baba sope’ arrangement,” one of the protesters said under
condition of anonymity. “We are at another level in politics and we
should make everything democratic, else we shall work for the
opposition party in the forthcoming elections by embarking on protest
votes.” Meanwhile, Next learnt that an arrangement to pick a consensus
governorship flagbearer for the party was going on as at the time of
this report through a meeting convened by the party leadership, with
all aspirants in attendance.