Fayose
Aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, State Working Committee, SWC, in Ekiti have dispelled rumours making the rounds that they were planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a result of their irreconcilable differences with Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Briefing journalists in Ado Ekiti on Friday, the estranged party leaders explained that they were sent by the SEC, comprising 50 members, to debunk the rumour that eleven out of the 14 SWC members were planning to join the APC.
They were led by their Acting Chairman, Mr Tunde Olatunde, State Secretary, Dr Tope Aluko and Auditor, Mr Tunji Olanrewaju.
The committee recently suspended the State Chairman of the party, Chief Idowu Faleye over what they called illegal occupation of the office, saying he was not properly elected to occupy the position , in strict compliance with the party’s constitution.
Subsequently, the Vice Chairman (North), Mr Olatunde , was elevated by the SEC to man the position in Acting capacity, which must have infuriated Fayose, Faleye’s benefactor.
Their reaction was also inspired by a statement credited to the former State Deputy Chairman of the PDP and now APC governorship aspirant, Mr Femi Bamisile, that he had it on good authority that eight members of the beleaguered PDP SWC were planning to defect to APC before 2018.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved members, Olatunde pointed out that though there were barrage of crises in the state chapter of the party, the Chief Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee and the Southwest chapter of the party were critically looking into how to abate the lingering problem.
He said their strained relationship with Fayose stemmed from when he made Faleye, a returnee in the party, the State chairman in flagrant disobedience to the PDP’s constitution, among other alleged infractions, particularly in the recent appointments he had made.
According to Olatunde, “I want to say emphatically that Faleye is only parading himself illegally as the State Chairman. He is a labour unionist and not recognised as the leader of our party. Though, he could be recognised as a chairman in the Government House
“Faleye as at now is not a registered member of our party. The constitution stipulated certain conditions that you must meet before you can be a state chairman of our party.
“He is from Ido Osi Ward I that had produced the Youth leader. So, It is unconstitutional for a ward to produce two EXCO members and for non-registered person to be elected an officer of a ward, let alone a whole state”, he insisted.
Slamming those spreading the rumour of their planned exit from the party, Olatunde added: “We have laboured for the PDP. Fayemi was there for four years. We could not get any dividend of democracy. We worked hard to install Fayose, why must we now leave the house we struggled to build?
“Though there are issues to settle with the Governor, but we are settling it and we will get out of this crisis stronger. We have been reaching out to those who have been maintaining “siddon look”, I mean the aggrieved ones. We have reached about 40 people, particularly those who are not on the same page with the party.
“If we are working hard to build the party and bringing the aggrieved in, then how can we leave? What is the APC now that we want to go and share? This story is meant to tarnish our image, it was a blatant lie and it is absolutely rejected.
“We believe it was wicked that somebody can say we want to leave, leave for what? We Have produced the governor, three senators, six Reps members and 26 Assembly members. So, we cannot leave the House we built by our own sweat”, Olatunde said.
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