Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Stakeholders Forum has insisted that the Senate Minority Leader, Mrs Biodun Olujimi, remains the leader of the party in the state.
It also said that there was no going back on its call for the dissolution of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party.
The forum, while reacting to position of the Ekiti PDP House of Representatives Caucus on its Saturday resolution, predicated its decision to install Olujimi as the new leader on her political antecedents and present status.
The House of Representatives members had on Sunday dissociated themselves from the party stakeholders’ meeting held in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, pledging their loyalty to the leadership of the immediate past governor, Ayodele Fayose.
The party leaders in state had at the meeting adopted Olujimi as the new leader of the party in the state and Southwest.
They also called for the dissolution of the State Executive Committee of the party, urging the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to constitute a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party in the state.
The stakeholders, in a statement issued on Monday, by the forum’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Gbenga Akinola and made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, said the PDP constitution does not recognize any caucus within the party, including the Reps caucus.
The statement read: “On behalf of members, leaders and stakeholders of our great party in Ekiti State, let it be on record that Olujimi is a one time SA Health, Reps member 2005, deputy governor 2006, Commissioner for Works, 2007-2010, Federal Board Chairman, Senate member 2015 to date, PDP BoT member, National Convention Committee member, making her the most informed, visible political office holder in the whole of Ekiti state.
“On the lingering issue in our party in Ekiti, we want to reinstate that Senator Olujimi remains the authentic and incontrovertible political leaders of our party in the state.”
On the PDP federal lawmakers’ position, he said, “Reps Caucus was not known to the party’s constitution and that they were imposed on the party in 2015 in spite of the fact that they were all Labour Party returning that were not confirmed as PDP members for the two years membership term of the party.
“They are far distanced from the political happenings at their home state. The stakeholders are expecting that they come around to work for their own victory and the party in the presidential election in 2019 and address the illegality and offences of the SEC as contained in our party constitution Section 58 subsection 1(d) page 99.
“We adopt the position of the our former governor after the presidential election in 2015 that the then party National Chairman, Makarfi should be removed from office saying” failed team should go home”.
The party leaders told Lere Olayinka to stop disparaging the founding fathers, leaders and committed members of party, wondering the capacity on which he was speaking.
On the issue of the council chairmen in the state, the stakeholders said they were part of the problems from the outset, as they were handpicked by the former governor to occupy the position.
The party leaders however appreciated the PDP National Vice chairman, Southwest, Chief Eddy Olafeso for his intervention in the crisis.
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