We’ll resist this imposition, Adeyeye, Olujimi vow
As political parties in Ekiti State warm up for their various primary elections, to beat the April 14 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the scenario in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party is patently peculiar.
Though the state’s PDP leadership claimed that many governorship aspirants had bought nomination forms to contest in the primaries, observers sneered, contending that whoever is supported by the state’s enigmatic governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, is bound to triumph at the primary poll.
Already, Fayose has declared support for the deputy governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, saying it was God who told him to pick him as a successor. He dared other contestants to stand against Olusola and see if they could defeat him.
But the other governorship gladiators, who include former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye; Senator Abiodun Olujimi, Ambassador Dare Bejide; and former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, are not deluded by the reality that Fayose wields a strong power in Ekiti PDP, and they have taken the battle to higher places, seeking the intervention of the party’s national leadership, towards ensuring that Fayose plays a neutral role.
Although rumours thickened recently that both Adeyeye and Olujimi would defect to newly resuscitated Social Democratic Party to realise their ambition, the two politicians had separately denied the speculation, insisting that they remained loyal members of the PDP.
Fayose: It doesn’t matter how many people are barking. If a dog barks, what can it do against its owner? If they want to join our enemies, let them do so. All I know is, Olusola-Eleka is the next governor of Ekiti State
THE OLUSOLA-ELEKA EDGE
With Fayose, his political godfather who had endorsed him as the candidate to beat standing for him, ahead of the primaries, a reticent Olusola-Eleka seems to be the most favoured, among the PDP aspirants. The deputy governor is believed to be enjoying every bit of the political game, as the governor’s political structure is all he needs to emerge as the party’s candidate.
Dismissing other governorship contestants with a wave of the hand, Fayose recently said, “It doesn’t matter how many people are barking. If a dog barks, what can it do against its owner? If they want to join our enemies, let them do so. All I know is, Olusola-Eleka is the next governor of Ekiti State.” He spoke at Ojumose, in Ado-Ekiti, during a rally organised by the Osokomole Mass Movement, a grassroots organisation mobilising working in his favour.
Although, aggrieved aspirants in the party had reached out to the party’s national leaders, but nothing much seems to have been achieved with their petitions, as Fayose appears to have played his political game perfectly in the party, both at the state and national level. But even at that, it is believed that, party’s delegates will determine Olusola-Eleka’s fate in the primaries, which is slated for the first week of April.
ADEYEYE, OLUJIMI’S FACTORS
But Adeyeye, who, apart from being a former minister, is also the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, is believed to have banked on supports from the party at the national level.
At a recent petition to the PDP National Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, Adeyeye, on behalf of himself, Olujimi, Bejide and Owoseni, appealed to the party at the national level to prevent Fayose and the state’s leadership of the party, from getting involved in the conduct of a primary election.
Adeyeye urged, “The State Working Committee, having betrayed its expected neutrality role, should be disqualified in the process leading to the gubernatorial primary in April. We demand a caretaker committee to replace them for the state.
“Governor Fayose has pitched his tent with Prof Olusola-Eleka and he should be disqualified from playing any role. The relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the PDP Constitution should be followed strictly, and arbitrary and illegal use of state apparatus like radio and television stations to subvert the truth must stop.”
In the same vein, Olujimi, whom many had thought would be the natural choice of Fayose as successor, is said to be piqued that the governor had let her down at a critical moment.
Olujimi, who was Fayose’s deputy during the governor’s atrophied first tenure, had had chummy relationship with the governor, who had built her political career by making her a Special Assistant, then helping her to win election into the House of Representatives, before crowning the streak of favour by appointing this Omuo-Ekiti born politician, deputy governor.
Olujimi, who is currently representing Ekiti South District in the Senate, reportedly paid back when she did all she could, to ensure that Fayose get the governorship ticket of the PDP in 2014. She also worked tirelessly with the others, to secure victory for Fayose at the governorship election. Then, the PDP cleared all the 16 local government areas, defeating the incumbent of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Now, Olujimi is seeking to become governor, and has had to go it alone, without the much anticipated Fayose support.
Lamenting the state of things in Ekiti PDP, Olujimi recently said, “Whoever says we are politicians that can be wished away will blame themselves, as the result will be grievous. We don’t want to lose Ekiti but Governor Fayose is messing up the whole process. It was because people like us worked hard in 2014 that made the 16-0 possible for PDP.
“Prof Olusola-Eleka was only a beneficiary of our sweat, he didn’t contribute anything and now he wants to be adopted against the party’s constitution; this, we will not accept.”
Olujimi: Whoever says we are politicians that can be wished away will blame themselves, as the result will be grievous. We don’t want to lose Ekiti but Governor Fayose is messing up the whole process. It was because people like us worked hard in 2014 that made the 16-0 possible for PDP
CONTEST OPEN TO EVERYONE, SAYS EKITI PDP
Meanwhile, despite the complaints by aspirants in the PDP over Fayose’s alleged imposition of a governorship candidate, the Ekiti State chapter of party said it didn’t believe that anyone had imposed any candidate on others.
The party’s publicity secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, told our correspondent that, “the said imposition of candidate is not recognised by the party, since the door is open to anyone to contest in the primary.”
On the claim that one of the aspirants, Adeyeye, had called on the party’s National Working Committee to conduct the primaries in order to avert the imposition of candidate, Jackson said, “Whoever he (Adeyeye) likes, let him call. The election is about Ekiti State and the state chapter of the party is the determinant. Like I told you, as far as we are concerned, the primaries is open to every contestant and that means, there is no imposition anywhere.”
