The crisis rocking the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the governorship ticket has deepened with the suspension of some party chieftains believed to be loyal to former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye.
An elected councillor for Ido/Osi Ward, Abiodun Daramola and the PDP Chairman in the Ward, Sunday Ojo and seven ward women leaders from Ado-Ekiti were suspended allegedly on the orders of Fayose.
The latest action is causing tension in the party and is believed to be against the spirit and letter of the David Mark Reconciliation Panel on Ekiti PDP crisis.
The suspended councillor, Daramola, in a telephone chat with DAILY POST on Monday, disclosed that some policemen stormed the council secretariat from Ido Police Station with handcuffs to effect his arrest.
He claimed that the policemen said that they were acting under instruction from Fayose not to allow him to sit in plenary at the council legislature with his colleagues.
The councillor disclosed that he was saved from arrest because of the personal relationship he has with the policemen. He added that his fellow councillors told him that he was punished for being an “Adeyeye boy”.
But the Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) has declared the suspension of the elected councillor and ward party excos as “illegal,
unconstitutional, null and void.”
PAAM Director of Media and Publicity, Niyi Ojo, in a statement issued on Monday, described the suspension as “a huge joke by a shameless jester”, noting that the processes for suspension are clearly spelt out in the PDP constitution.
The statement reads: “One is embarrassed that a Governor of a State did not know the rudimentary provisions of Nigerian Constitution and the PDP constitution in respect of elected officials.
“He unilaterally selected chairmanship of the councils and councillors through YES and NO balloting system and he has gone ahead to render them a robot that should no have a mind of their own.
“He believes in gangsterism, thuggery, intimidation and coercion as a tool in politics of Ekiti as if he is the Emperor of a conquered territory. This is a governor that has rendered every party man poor by denying them of adequate party patronage and now forcing them to do his bidding.
“We are members of Peoples Demoratic Party (PDP) and not Ayo Fayose Democratic Party. All other loyal party men and women should not bow.to this act of cowardice from the governor.
“We knew all along that a leopard cannot change its spot. We knew that the tyrant will never abide with the resolutions of Senator David Mark Reconciliation Panel and we shall not chicken out from the battle to save the soul of PDP from Fayose.”
The state PDP Chairman, Mr. Gboyega Oguntuase, stated that although the decision to suspend the officials was yet to be communicated to him,
the matter would be looked into dispassionately.
Oguntuase said: “Whatever decision taken has not been communicated officially to the party but we reserve the right to look into it.
“We don’t want our people to be reading meaning into it but such matters will be looked into dispassionately and nobody will be punished for offence not committed
“But in a political party, you are not expected to lead an unregulated life.”
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