A faction of the Ekiti State chapter of the PDP loyal to Senator Biodun Olujimi has once thrown its weight behind Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, and rejected ex-Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The faction clarified its position on Tuesday via a statement, titled, ‘Ekiti PDP disowns Fayose, backs Makinde’s S’ West leadership signed by the factional Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Adesua, in Ado Ekiti.
This came after Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, representing Ondo South District in the National Assembly led a delegation on a solidarity visit to Fayose’s house on Monday.
However, Adesua said Makinde remains the undisputable leader of the party in the South West in accordance with the PDP’s rules and conventions.
The PDP factional spokesperson appeals to Fayose “to support Makinde’s leadership and allow peace to reign in the zone, instead of leading another group to oppose him.”
“We are using this medium to appeal to all our leaders across the Southwest Zone, especially those who are aggrieved for one reason or another, to please give peace a chance in the best interest of the party and the populace.”
“Gov. Seyi Makinde is the leader of PDP in Southwest and the Ekiti State Chapter is solidly behind him. This is not to say that former Governor Ayo Fayose can be wished away in the scheme of things as one of the party leaders in the zone, but he should understand that he does not own the party.
“And as such, should respect the existing political organogram/arrangements which he once benefitted from, as the only elected PDP Governor in the zone between 2014 and 2018.
“What we expect from him is to give Gov Makinde the same support he enjoyed from PDP leaders across the zone when he (Fayose) was at the helms of affairs instead of working against the progress of the party,”
Adesua added that the party, which had only one sitting governor out of the six states in the South-West, could no longer afford destabilization ochestrated by individuals who assumed ownership of the party.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr Wole Oyelese, has blamed the crisis in the South-West chapter on the inability of the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus.
Oyesele said Secondus should have cautioned the warring factions.
Oyelese said if the national chairman of the party had called Makinde and Fayose to resolve the crisis, the embarrassing situation would have been averted.
“It is unfortunate that the party at the national level allowed things to get to this level,” Oyelese told The Punch.
“My expectation is by now, the national body especially the national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, should have cautioned the two of them. The crisis between Governor Seyi Makinde and Ayo Fayose, shouldn’t have been allowed to get to this level.”
