You’re free to leave, Ekiti PDP faction tells Fayose

EKITI State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has reacted to the threat by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to dump the party should Sheriff win at the Supreme Court, saying “we shall not miss him.”

The faction, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, alleged that “one very painful fact which is driving Governor Fayose away from PDP is that it is inconceivable for him to have lost control of the party structures in Ekiti State from ward to local Givernment and state level in accordance with a federal high court judgement.”

In the statement signed by the deputy chairman, Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi and secretary, Ilesanmi Obe, the faction claimed that “the exit of Fayose from PDP will not adversely affect the fortunes of the party,” claiming that “all the ward, local government and state executives as well as the state’s leadership caucus remain intact.”

The faction also said “most of the elected and appointed officials at all levels of government have resolved to remain in PDP and are not following Fayose if he eventually defects again and chase shadows as usual.”

According to them, “all the 177 wards and 16 local governments still believe in the PDP as the party that delivered and performed best so far since the creation of Ekiti State,” saying “the incontrovertible fact is that on the two occasions he won the governorship elections it was the PDP that provided the platform and opportunities for him.”

Ogunbiyi and Obe recalled that Fayose had once tried his popularity when he contested for the Central senatorial seat while in Labour Party, noting that he “failed woefully and this proves that the platform aided his victories and not his so-called popularity.”

They said “if he decides to leave PDP again, we shall not miss him as the party remains strong and intact under the able leadership of Chief Clement Awoyelu, the first state chairman of the party,” saying “when Fayose dumped the party in 2007, we went ahead to win the governorship election and all the nine National Assembly seats and 13 House of Assembly seats without him.”