Ekiti PDP factions trade blames over alleged destruction of flags at Sheriff factions secretariat

PEOPLE suspected to be political thugs, on Tuesday allegedly attacked the office of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The group led by Chief Williams Ajayi, which office is located at Adebayo area in Iworoko road in the town, claimed that it was suspecting the Gboyega Oguntuase-led PDP as the culprit, saying it was a premeditated attempt.

The Deputy Chairman of the group, Mr Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi, alleged that the Gboyega Oguntuwase-led factionknewas the mastermind of the attack. Ogunbiyi claimed that the culprits vandalised the office and tore the flags there.

But reacting to the allegation, the Publicity Secretary of Oguntuwase-led-PDP in the state, Jackson Adebayo, said the allegation was part of the orchestrated plan by the PDP renegades to continue to tarnish the image of the party in the state.

Adebayo, who reacted on the telephone, said the authentic PDP in Ekiti was “working round the clock to sensitise the people of the state on the need to remain loyal and vote for the PDP when elections come, while Ojo and his co-travelers are making frivolous allegations.

“I saw what they are calling the press for and I concluded that they are still in shock how they got to that sorry pass. There were storm and erosion, which affected their building and they are claiming that reasonable people would leave their jobs to be digging their fences and destroying blocks.

“They should be pitied rather than responded to because there’s no such thing as what they are alleging,” Adebayo said.

The Federal High Court  sitting in Ado Ekiti , had in its  judgment of January 24, 2017 delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo,  declared Ajayi the authentic Chairman before the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution of the judgment.

The Appellate court also urged the two factions to maintain a status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Ogunbiyi had said: “We left the office on Tuesday at about 6pm and only to return Wednesday around 7am and saw the flags erected brought down. They scaled the fence and destroyed all the flags and the louver blades of our office.

“Ogunbiyi said the faction’s lawyer, Niran Owoseeni has taken up the matter and that a formal letter is already being prepared to be taken to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdullahi Chafe, for proper action.”