Unknown people yesterday placed fetish objects, including rituals, cutlasses and palm front, at the entrance of the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat at Cathedral Area, Akure.
The secretariat had been sealed off by aggrieved party members under the aegis of Movement Against Imposition (MAI) in protest against the alleged anti-party activities of its state party chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.
Some of the fetish items were placed at the secretariat gate and some were hanged around the premises.
It was learnt that the items were placed in the night.
The development scared many party supporters and prevented them from gaining entry into the secretariat.
Many traders and other shop owners around the APC secretariat could not open their shops as a result of the development. Residents of the area scampered when they heard about the fetish items.
Workers at the secretariat deserted the place for fear of being victims of the rituals until some APC youth came to remove the objects after โspiritual cleansingโ.
Speaking on the development, the partyโs Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, described the situation as unfortunate.
He noted that the development might not be unconnected with the crisis rocking the party, which, according to him, had been resolved in the interest of peace.
Otaloro blamed the opposition members, who, he said, were not comfortable with reconciliatory effort being made to forge ahead for the APC victory on the November 26 poll.
He was optimistic that the partyโs National Secretariat was making frantic efforts to reconcile warring factions within the Ondo APC ahead of Saturday primary.
Some members of MAI linked the crisis to Kekemeke, stressing that the state APC organs, including the youth wing, women wing and members of the National and State Assemblies have passed a vote of no confidence on him.
But they said yet Kekemeke wants to remain in office.
Policemen have been permanently stationed around the secretariat premises to prevent further crisis.
