Following protests by some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State, security operatives were on Wednesday deployed to the party secretariat to prevent break down of law and order.

Protests had erupted on Tuesday after former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu reportedly declared his support for one of the governorship aspirants, a move some APC members described as an attempt to impose a governorship candidate on the people of the state.

But Tinubu, a national leader of the party, had stated that he had the right to have a preferred candidate as a member of the party, and that those questioning his right to do so are not democrats.

Tinubu also assured the aggrieved members that the governorship primary election of the party in Ondo would be free and fair, and advised those fighting him to concentrate their energies on fighting for “support and votes” of party members.

The aggrieved members had driven out party officials from the secretariat and locked the gates, refusing entrance to the state party chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.

But on Wednesday, some of the party supporters loyal to the chairman, arrived the party secretariat and broke the padlocks with which the gate was locked, before taking positions across the area as policemen took control.

The armed policemen were also joined by men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

Leader of the group, Amoda Bello, said it was illegal for any group to have locked up the secretariat premises, adding that if any group feels aggrieved, it should channel its grievances through the appropriate quarters.

Rahman Rotimi, the APC State Secretary, also condemned the action of the people that locked the party secretariat, which he described as a symbol of the party.

Also, Ajayi Boroface, a senator and one of the 25 governorship aspirants of the party, had in a statement absolved Tinubu of any plan to impose a candidate on the party.

The legislator called the allegation against Tinubu as a “baseless distraction” that will not help those “spreading the rumour.”