#ENDSARS: PDP, APC adjust to temporal secretariats

By Osagie Otabor, Akure

Officials of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State are making attempts to adjust to settle down to temporal secretariats.

The state secretariats of both the PDP and the APC in Akure were last week set ablaze by hoodlums who hijacked the ENDSARS protest.

At the PDP secretariat, officials of the party were seen sitting under mango tree within the premises.

They said that was where they have been using to attend to party matters.

Spokesman for the party, Kennedy Peretei, said plans were on to erect make shift tents and portacabin to serve as offices pending when the secretariat is rebuilt.

According to him, “For now we operate from under a mango tree within the premises of the burnt Secretariat. It is the building that was destroyed. Not the Party, nor the people that were burnt.

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“The properties lost to the fire is about two hundred million naira. A 30- seater coaster bus, three other vehicles parked in the Secretariat. Two Generator sets- one 30KVA sound proof with another 8000 Elemac petrol generator. Refrigerators, office furniture, plasma televisions, stationery etc.

“As it turned out, the EndSars protest was hijacked by hoodlums. The take home for me is that, the protest itself was a product of a dysfunctional society. A society where everybody has been abandoned to fend for his/herself. Where nothing works and nobody appears to be in charge. A situation of total anarchy, helplessness and hopelessness.”

Spokesman for the Ondo APC, Alex Kalejaiye, said the party has discussed with the owners of the building and promised that it would be reconstructed.

Kalejaiye said the party planned to rent an apartment nearby pending when funds are available to reconstruct the burnt building.

On allegations that COVID-19 palliatives were stored inside the secretariat, Kalejaiye explained that the palliatives looted by hoodlums were meant for cleaners and other workers at the secretariat.

According to him, “We are still in shock. That building will be renovated but for the time being we will rent a place because the party must move on.

“How will anybody say we stored COVID-19 palliatives? Those that sponsored the palliatives gave instructions on how those to benefit. The palliatives were meant for low income earners and the poorest people.

“I made a case for workers like cleaners in our secretariat and the committee released some to us. They were not distributed because of campaigns and election until last week crisis. The palliatives were kept in one office.”