By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Following the allegation that former governor Ayodele Fayose warned the electorate against voting for Senate Minority Leader Biodun Olujimi in the February 16 election in Ekiti State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has said that Fayose’s directive was made in bad faith and smacked
of anti-party activity.
The PDP leaders in Ekiti south senatorial district Friday told Fayose to retract the statement and apologise to the party or face suspension in line with the party’s constitution.
Fayose had last week directed the people of Ekiti South not to vote for the candidature of Olujimi, urging them to vote Atiku and other PDP candidates. The message was relayed on a state private radio ‘Peoples FM 104.1’ last week.
The chairmen of the six local governments in the district, who met in Ikere Local Government, vowed to deliver the councils to Olujimi and the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar.
A communiqué read by Mr. Ajibade Olajoyin, who is the party’s leader in Ikere Local Government, said the rejection was premised on the negative impact of such directive on the future of the PDP in Ekiti State.
Other leaders from Ikere Local Government at the meeting included Hon. Bode Adewole; member, Assembly Service Commission, Hon. Toba Ogunmusanmi; former LG party chairman, Mr Olorunfemi Sunday; deputy party chairmen and Mrs Funmi Alonge, a leader.
The party leaders, who read their communiqué to newsmen after about four hours meeting at Ikere PDP secretariat, insisted that they have worked and talked to their people on the need to disregard the directive given by the former governor not to vote for the Senate Minority Leader.
The party leaders said that Fayose’s directive could have adverse effect on Olujimi and the presidential candidate of the party if obeyed by the people.
They reckoned that the action of the former governor amounted to throwing stones into the house one has built over the years.
“When you direct people not to vote for your party’s candidate in an election,
what you are doing is simply not working for the success of your party. As leaders of our people, we are not comfortable with this directive and we distanced ourselves from it,” they said.
The Southern senatorial district party leaders said that they are trying all their possible best to neutralise the directive given by Fayose, adding that they have resolved that all machinery would be put in place to disabuse the mind of the people who may have bought the directive hook line and sinker.
They wondered why the national leadership has been unable to wade into the festering crisis and resolve the crisis before it gets out of hand.
“The national leadership of our party ought to have taken the necessary steps to nip the crisis in the bud” they said.
