Victor Ogunje
A Former Acting Governor and Chieftain of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Hon. Tunji Odeyemi, yesterday threatened to dump the party over an alleged plot to impose a candidate in the botched Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, where he was an aspirant.
Odeyemi, who is one of the aspirants that contested the Ekiti South Constituency 2 in the last primary, decried the manner with which the party leadership was handling the disrupted shadow poll.
He explained that the exercise was disrupted midway and no results were announced, wondering why the party was suggesting that the name of an aspirant should be submitted to the national secretariat as the winner rather than conducting another poll.
“The name of one Jennifer Emiola from Omuo-Ekiti where the PDP picked its senatorial candidate had been submitted,” he said.
Odeyemi, therefore, wondered why a candidate would be picked in an election that was marred with violence and no winner was declared.
He said that he has been consistent in loyalty and membership to PDP in the last 22 years, but going by the recent developments in the party, particularly in Ekiti, he may have no choice than to pitch his tent with another political party.
He stated that in the three local government areas that composed the federal constituency, namely Ekiti East, Emure and Gbonyin, that only Gbonyin had been left out in the scheme of things.
He said: “The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP, Mr. Kolapo Kolade, is from Emure, while the Senatorial Candidate, Mr. Biodun Olujimi, is from Ekiti East. So with these arrangements, the party cannot pick the House Representatives candidate from Ekiti East, leaving out Gbonyin Local Government out of the political equation.”
Odeyemi said that his denial of the House of Representatives ticket for the Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2 revealed that his loyalty to PDP has not been appreciated.
“Since I left the House of Assembly, every agreement I have with the leadership of PDP in Ekiti has being breached.
“In the just concluded National Assembly primary of PDP, I vied for the House of Representative’s ticket for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2.
“The primary which was held on Sunday, May 22, was marred with violence and irregularities.”
Odeyemi was the speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly from 2008 to 2011 and acting-governor between February 2009 and May 2009.
