We’ve reclaimed Ekiti PDP from Fayose, says BoT member

Ado-Ekiti – A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustee, Chief Clement Awoyelu has declared that Governor Ayodele Fayose has lost grip of the party in the state. Awoyelu, the pioneer Chairman of the party in the state and former Senate Deputy Chief Whip, said reclaiming the party from the governor remains the best option for the party to avert imminent destruction occasioned by Fayose’s alleged one-man show in the running of the party. He spoke in Ado Ekiti yesterday during the swearing-in of a faction of the State Executive Committee of the PDP, believed to be loyal to the Senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu.

  Fayose But the a swift reaction through his Chief Press Secretary said Awoyelu must be day-dreaming. The group purportedly sworn-in yesterday, had earlier got a court verdict through the federal high court validating the election of those elected under this group and nullified the elections of those loyal to Fayose during the May 10, 2016 State congress held in Ekiti. Awoyelu, who said he has no personal grudge against Fayose, added that the grouse with the governor has always been that he should follow due process and desist from arrogating the party to himself and run it like his personal estate. “I have been in the party politics for more than 50 years and that is why we are trying to restructure our party. We will never sleep until we reclaim our party from Governor Fayose. We are ready to correct all the wrongs in our party. “I have grouse with Fayose in two ways: One, I have never seen a state where governor will be the one to appoint councillorship candidates. This is wrong because it is the duty of the party leaders. Two, the governor has appropriated the party to himself . The governor has not attended any meeting at the party secretariat, instead he relocated the party to his house in Afao Ekiti. These, we will not tolerate. “I have been a member of the PDP National Executive Committee since 1998, Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan were attending meeting at Wadata Plaza in Abuja. But this is not so under Governor Fayose. “Governor Fayose was not in Ekiti when we formed PDP . He didn’t know anything about PDP . And we thank God that the election of the new SEC and the verdict of the court have shown that God and the pople have rejected the governor. We have reclaimed the state from him. “As SEC of the party, you have nothing to fear because the court had validated your victories. You should ensure unity in our party and bring every aggrieved member on board”, he said. A former envoy to Canada and Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Amb Dare Bejide, urged the new SEC to instill discipline in the party and make it a formidable force to be able to win elections. Bejide hinted that the verdict of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on Tuesday, recognizing Chief Williams Ajayi-led State Working Committee, had automatically barred delegates selected by Gboyega Oguntuase’s faction from participating in the party’s national congress holding in Port Harcourt, River State, on Saturday. The chairman of the faction, Chief Ajayi, assured the party leaders that he would pursue unity and ensure that the party stand united. ‘Awoyelu day-dreaming’ The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Fayose, Mr Idowu Adelusi in a reply to Vanguard enquiry said; ‘’In Ekiti State, PDP has only one executive led by Barr Gboyega Oguntuase. Their is no faction in Ekiti PDP. ‘’One is surprised that Chief Awoyelu as knowledgeable as he is in politics, will back a congress which by all standard did not meet the requirement. That congress, I can boast, is a nullity and time will tell. ‘’Saying that Ekiti PDP will be taken from Governor Fayose by Awoyelu group is a wishful thinking. We advise Chief Awoyelu to come back home.”