Protesting members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State want the immediate removal of the party's embattled Chairman, Isaacs Kekemeke.
The members made the call on Tuesday morning during a protest staged at the party's State Secretariat in Akure.
The aggrieved members alleged that the leadership of the party led by Mr. Kekemeke and the State Executive Council (SEC) had endorsed a particular governorship candidate for the members.
SaharaReporters gathered that the protesting members, who gathered under the umbrella of "Ondo APC Movement Against Imposition" are kicking against any imposition.
At the event today, the members were armed with placards bearing unprintable names, some of them accusing Mr. Kekemeke of compromising the integrity of the party.
Earlier, they locked up the entrance gate to the party's secretariat, thereby preventing movement into the premises.
Our correspondent reported that the members of the party have repeatedly opposed the imposition of a candidate as the party prepares for its primary election, which is slated for August 27.
Many of the aggrieved members allege that Mr. Kekemeke is a mole being used by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to cause disunity among members of the opposition party.
One them told our correspondent today that the embattled chairman was not capable of leading the opposition party to victory ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.
"Mr. Isaacs Kekemeke is a mole in APC, and he is secretly working for Governor Olusegun Mimiko to cause disaffection among our party's faithful", he stated.
Tolu Babaleye, who later spoke with journalists, added that the members were tired of the leadership of the party led by Mr. Kekemeke.
"We know that Mr. Kekemeke has his own candidate for the party and has the right to support anybody but he should not use the machinery of the party for any such personal purpose,” he declared.
"We won't allow the chairman and the members of his executive to seat down in their office and use the apparatus of the party for their selfish purpose.
"We all know that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is a venerable leader who we all believed in but his name is being used to perpetrate evil in Ondo state to impose candidate on the members," he added.
In his reaction, Mr. Kekemeke said he is still the State Chairman of the party noting that he was elected in accordance with party's constitution.
He vowed to resist any blackmail, stressing that he would never resign his position as the duly elected chairman of the party.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved members have chosen Saka Yusuf Ogunleye as the interim chairman of the opposition party.
SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Ogunleye immediately constituted a seven-man committee to take over the executive affairs of the party as the crisis brews.
He appointed Rotimi Ogunleye Williams, an aide to Olusola Oke, to serve as the Director of Media for the interim committee.
