MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Omuo, headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State have trooped out in protest against a call by former Governor Ayodele Fayose that the people should vote against Senator Biodun Olujimi, a candidate of the party.
The protesters who had massed from the council areas in Ekiti South Senatorial district expressed anger over Governor Fayose’s directive that voters should reject the Senate Minority Leader in the election.
According to the protesters, it was tantamount to anti-party for Fayose, a former PDP governor, to have told Ekiti South voters to reject Senator Olujimi for allegedly flexing muscles with him over the leadership of the party in the State and South West.
Fayose had, last week while featuring on a live radio programme, called on voters to vote for all PDP candidates except Olujimi.
The protesters carried placards saying “Stop Personalising PDP”, “PDP, not your Private Estate”, “You Have no Power to Give the order to Ekiti South Voters”, “Stop Your Anti-Party Activities” etc.
ALSO READ: Group cautions ADC chair over comment on Buhari’s…
Addressing the protesters, former Majority Leader of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Sule Longe and ex-Commissioner for Information, Chief Israel Osadare, urged the National Chairman of the party, Chief Uche Secondus to call Fayose to order, so that the party can be united to prosecute the coming elections.
Osadare said Olujimi played a prominent role in Fayose becoming the governor of the state in 2003 and 2014, saying it was wrong for him to turn around and bit the fingers that had fed him during the trying times.
Osadare said: “It amounted to anti-party activity for former governor Fayose to have gone on radio and said the people should reject Senator Olujimi in the coming election. For any PDP person to have made such comment amounted to trying to destroy the platform that made him.
“But we want to say that Fayose has no power to command Ekiti South voters because he is from the Central. We appeal to our people not to be misled by Fayose’s comment.
“He had been governor twice using PDP platform and he now wants to destroy the party for selfish goal, this will not work and nemesis shall soon catch up with him.
“It was his domineering tendency that led to PDP’s losing Ekiti in the July 14 election apart from the rigging perpetrated by the APC. Our party would have done better if he actually gave the party and its members’ free hands to operate.
“Let our people be prepared hard to withstand the challenges ahead and win substantially in the elections coming up in the State next month.”
Former Majority Leader, Sule Longe, said the party at this crucial time must come together to be able to trounce APC in the coming elections, rather than taking steps that can create cleavages in the party that is in the opposition.
“Nobody can tell our people not to vote for Senator Olujimi, because she had paid her dues. She did well as a representative of the people in the last four years.
“We know the antics of former governor Fayose, he wanted to be the only one that will enjoy PDP and this will not work. So, he should be warned by our leaders.
“He should know that committed PDP members like us will not allow him to destroy our heritage, which is PDP. After gaining prominence in PDP, he wanted to rock the boat. We appeal to our national leaders to
intervene and let him know that the party is supreme.
“We want Fayose to retract the statement and pledge loyalty to the PDP. He shouldn’t see himself as above the party, our party is supreme to everybody.”
Some members of the party had in November last year, convened a meeting in Ado Ekiti, where it was resolved that Senator Olujimi should assume leadership position being the highest ranking PDP person in the state and South West.
The move has polarised the PDP in the state.
and then