Fayose’s Dictatorship Will Kill PDP in Ekiti, Says Senator Olujimi

By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

As members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) begin to abandon  the party over alleged dictatorial tendencies of Governor Ayodele Fayose, the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi, has raised the alarm  over threat this poses to the party ahead of the July 14 governorship poll.

Olujimi said losing influential members to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mega Party,  Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other parties was dangerous to the party’s chances in the impending poll.

Recently, former Deputy Governor Sikiru Lawal defected to Labour Party, ex-Nigeria’s Ambassador to Canada, Dare Bejide decamped  to SDP and former Minister of Works, Dayo Adeyeye moved to African Democratic Congress (ADC) with their supporters over irreconcilable differences with the governor.

The senator and governorship aspirant, representing Ekiti South senatorial district,  said the exodus was triggered by “one-man dictatorship, oppression, hopelessness and totalitarianism in Ekiti PDP.”

This position was contained in a press statement issued by the Biodun Olujimi Team (BoT) at the end of its meeting at the weekend where the last PDP governorship primary was reviewed.

The group hailed Mrs. Olujimi for her courage to contest the PDP governorship primary in the face of an alleged “intimidation, threat and in the name of achieving a predetermined result.”

The senator described Fayose’s continuity agenda of having his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as successor as a “continuity of slavery and servitude where members remain slaves in their own party.”

She  resolved: “We abhor and shall resist all forms of threat, oppression, victimisation and humiliation.

“We shall remain resolute, fearless and courageous in our demand for internal democracy, justice, rule of law, fairness and equity within the PDP in achieving the ideals, aims and objectives which Senator Olujimi stands for.”

She added: “We separated the real, fearless PDP owners from the coerced, appointed delegates who voted against their conscience for fear of being removed as councilors, council chairmen and vice chairmen, party executives and honorable members by their sole appointer and sole administrator as against the PDP constitution (as amended in 2017).

“It is saddening to note that with the exception of the three-man ad hoc delegates who were elected at their various wards, all others were appointed at the pavilion inside the Government House on the mantra that ‘wherever I go, you follow.’ We all forgot that Ekiti voters were the heroes of 16-0 in the 2014 election and not one man.

She added: “Today, our party is depleted, unimaginably factionalised and fast drifting into despondency in Ekiti State. Several members of our party have defected to APC, SDP, ADP, Mega Party, among others as a result of poor party administration and compulsory loyalty to one man, forgetting that a tree does make a forest.”

 

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