MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has announced that they will defect enmass to another political party of the Supreme Court affirms Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the chairman of the party.
The party, on Thursday, declared that those supporting a faction of the party loyal to Sheriff as “outcasts and saboteurs who are interested in wrecking the party.”
The party took the decision at a meeting of stakeholders in Ikole Local Government Area of the state, where the party began mobilization in readiness for the 2018 governorship poll.
At the meeting, the party also passed a vote of confidence on Governor Ayodele Fayose, a factional National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and the factional chairman of the party in the state, Gboyega Oguntuwase, following a motion by a former Deputy governor of the state, Chief Paul Alabi.
The motion for the passage of vote of confidence in Fayose , Makarfi and Oguntuwase was supported by all the party members.
The party threatened to defect en masse to another party, if the Supreme Court affirms Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of the party, claiming that Sheriff and his supporters were “fifth columnists and potential dangers to the party.”
They described Governor Fayose’s contributions to the party “at both local and national levels as exemplary,” and also endorsed the leadership of the State Working Committee of the party.
Among others, Chairman, Ikole Council, Mr Adeyeye Adeyanju, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Kehinde Agboola; Chairman of PDP in Ikole Local Government, Mr Azeez Yusuf, member of the House of Assembly, Hon Titilayo Owolabi-Akerele, was at the meeting.
Chief Alabi, who spoke extensively on the party’s fortunes since Fayose came on board said: “We want to warn Senator Buruji Kashamu and Senator Sheriff to stop meddling in the politics of Ekiti. Ekiti belongs to us and not to interlopers.
“When did you see any Ekiti man controlling the politics of Ogun? Senator Kashamu must stop using some renegades to destabilize our party. Let me also say this: Fayose remains the voice of the voiceless in Nigeria. He is a pride to Ekiti PDP and Nigeria at large and wherever he goes, we shall follow him enmass.”
Oguntuase in his speech appealed to members to stand united, so that the 2018 poll can be a work over for the party.
He said: “Winning the election in 2018 is a done deal, but we want to keep our records flying. In the last election, we defeated Governor Kayode Fayemi in all the 16 local governments and that feat, we are going to maintain in the next poll.”
Oguntuwase said the party could not survive the onslaught already perfected by the All Progressives (APC), if the likes of Sheriff, Senator Kashamu and their backers are still in control of the party.
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