Elders' caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State has threatened that the state may witness another 1983 crisis if the federal government and the judiciary refused to issue a fresh order for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise Mr. Eyitayo Jegede SAN as the governorship candidate ahead of the November 26 election.
The leaders, who met behind closed doors at the Government House banquet hall on Monday and addressed reporters shortly after their meeting, said the people are not happy with the substitution of Jegede with Jimoh Ibrahim by INEC.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the party leaders, Prof Olu Agbi threatened that if their demand is not met on time, it may lead to a repeat of the 1983 experience.
Agbi, who is also the Asiwaju of Akure where Jegede hails from, said the federal government must save the state from an impending crisis which will be occasioned by the ugly development.
He said "It is a rape of democracy because it is the prerogative of parties to nominate candidate and we have not seen anywhere in Nigeria where a court will order or impose a candidate on a party.
"This is a way of laying a foundation where anybody can go to abroad, conduct a primary and go straight to the court to get justice without following the rules of such party.
"We see this as a deliberate and attempt by the federal government and judiciary to disrupt the peace we have been enjoying in the last seven and half years and we don't want all these to be truncated.
"Don't allow history to repeat itself. There is no way we can move away from 1983 history. A society where there is no justice, there is can never be peace.
"Once this injustice is address, there will be no crisis in the land.
"Many people have lost a lot of confidence on the judiciary and we appeal to the federal government to save Ondo State from imminent crisis."
