Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Former Minister of Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of persecuting his loyalists with intention to push them out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2018 governorship poll.
Adeyeye, a PDP governorship aspirant and Fayose had a couple of months ago parted ways over the latter’s adoption of his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola as the sole candidate for the next year election.
Meanwhile, APC in Ekiti State has congratulated members of the party in the state that were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as heads and members of boards of federal parastatals and commissions.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, also praised the President for considering members worthy of their appointments, which included former governors Segun Oni and Adeniyi Adebayo and 22 other APC leaders in Ekiti.
In a statement by Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) on Saturday, Adeyeye condemned in clear terms the harassment being visited on party members by the governor, whom he accused of arm-twisting party members across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
He said Fayose had allegedly been forcing PDP members to reject palliative Christmas gifts from other party chieftains while he, as a governor, has refused to help their cause.
“While we know and agree of certainty that the action of the Governor was borne out of inferiority complex, we however, feel that he should not be allowed to push out our party members who have been totally pauperised by his failed policies in the state, and force them to jump into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in search of greener pastures.
“It is on record that the grand reception given to our principal, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye by Ekiti Indigenes had never been accorded anyone who is not a current public office holder in the history of Ekiti politics.
“This, we are sure, is the reason why the insomnia governor Fayose has been suffering in the last few weeks has increased and causing him to become paranoid.
“We are genuinely worried that a governor who has usurped local government funds in the name of providing for the needs of the people without anything to show for it, has decided to close the door against members of the PDP who are genuinely making efforts at ameliorating the economic challenges of the needy within the party.
“While we remain committed to the cause of PDP in Ekiti State as a group of major stakeholders, we wish to state that it has become necessary for the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party to call Mr. Fayose to order before he, out of selfishness, snuffed life out of the party in Ekiti Stateâ€.
The APC chieftain appealed to the new appointees to do Ekiti State proud in their new assignments, while the party urged the President to consider Ekiti State for more appointments, including locating employment-generating projects in the state.
