The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has remained unresolved over the years and the internal schism became messier a few days ago after the National Working Committee (NWC) announced the suspension of some National Assembly candidates and the dissolution of the State Executive Council. ‘YOMI AYELESO examines the latest development and the effects it might have on the chances of the party in the February 25 elections.
Again, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State is in the news for the wrong reasons. This time, the National Working Committee (NWC) announced the suspension of seven out of nine National Assembly candidates for the February 25 election and the dissolution of the party’s executive committee, bringing on board caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party.
The PDP in the state had been enmeshed in deep crisis since its lost power to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2018. This crisis led to the crunching defeat of the party’s 26 House of Assembly candidates and eight of nine National Assembly candidates in the 2019 general election.
In 2020, due to battle of supremacy among the political gladiators, the state congress of the party ended in stalemate and dragged in court for months, forcing the then national leadership of the party under UcheSecondus to set a caretaker committee under the chairmanship of an elder statesman from Oyo state, Senator Hosea Agboola. The Agboola-led committee ran the party for almost a year with little or nothing achieved in terms of bringing warring groups together.
The protracted crisis lingered and culminated in the abysmal performance of the party during the June 18 governorship in 2022. In the build-up to the election, some aggrieved members including a former governor, Chief Segun Oni, had moved to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Results of the governorship poll showed that the PDP came a distant third, trailing the eventual winner, APC and the SDP which came second.
In all of the internal wrangling and muscle-flexing within the party, a former governor, AyodeleFayose and the lawmaker representing Ekiti South, Senator Biodun Olujimi, were fingered at the centre of the crisis. While Fayose and his camp insisted in holding firm the party’s structure, those in Olujimi group opted for a collegiate form of leadership where a group of people rather than an individual would be the deciding factor in the party.
Just as there was a semblance of relative calm within the party after the governorship election, the impending 2023 general election has ignited the crisis in the state chapter again. While the Fayose group which had the control of the party submitted a list for the state’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the AtikuAbubakar/IfeanyiOkowa campaign, the other forces protested against this over alleged fear of sabotage.
After series of back and forth, the AminuTambuwal-led PCC released the team for Ekiti State with some interest accommodated, noticeably those members of the party who worked for the SDP during the governorship poll. This decision of the party did not go down well with the Fayose camp, including National Assembly candidates and former governorship candidate, BisiKolawole, who was named chairman of the PCC. They rejected the compilation and vowed not to participate in the presidential campaign leading to the poll.
In what could be described as the last straw which broke the camel’s back, the decision of the Fayose group to shun the presidential campaign rally of the party held on January 17, 2023 in the state appeared to have infuriated the national leadership of the party. During the rally, the national chairman, Ayu, while speaking, accused those he described as, “enemy within and enemy outside” of attempts to scuttle the rally.
As a pointer to what to expect in future, Ayu further declared that, “this is the process of liberating the people of Ekiti and build the party. PDP is not anyone’s property; it is not an individual party and we will ensure it is a genuinely people’s platform.”
Only Senator Biodun Olujimi contesting for a third term in Ekiti South and 30-year-old , Henrich Akomolafe, vying for a seat in the House of Representatives (Ekiti South 1) attended the presidential rally and were presented the party’s flag by Ayu.
Four days after the presidential campaign rally, Ayu wielded the big stick by suspending party’s seven National Assembly candidates who shunned the rally and as well dissolved the state executive committee. The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who made the announcement in two separate press releases in quick succession on Friday night said the candidates were suspended for alleged anti-party activities. In the same vein, he announced the setting up of an 11-member caretaker committee to be chaired by a chieftain of the party from Ondo state, Sodiq Obanoyen, for the next three months.
According to the party, those suspended were the senatorial candidates, Lateef Ajijola (Ekiti Central) and Funsho Ayeni (Ekiti North) alongside five House of Representatives candidates; Yinka Akerele (Ekiti North 1), Babatunde Ajayi (Ekiti North 2), Lere Olayinka (Ekiti Central 2), Joju Fayose (Ekiti Central 1) and Mrs Emiola Adenike Jennifer (Ekiti South 2).
But in a swift reaction, these candidates who are loyalists of Fayose, dismissed the suspension by the NWC, saying that the party breached the principle of fair hearing by not inviting them to defend themselves over the allegations.
In a joint statement, the candidates said, “We were never informed of any wrong doing. They didn’t tell us our offence so that we can defend ourselves as provided by the party’s constitution and the constitution of Nigeria. Section 57 (6) of the PDP constitution is clear and unambiguous. It states that ‘Any decision taken against a member who has not been informed of the charges against him or has not been given any opportunity of defending himself shall be null and void.’
“Also, Section 33 of the Electoral Act is very clear on candidates for elections and as it is, we remain candidates in line with law and we shall remain focused. Our party is a constitutional institution and we will ensure it obeys its constitution.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 33 of the Electoral Act provides clearly that; ‘A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate.”
“We are therefore unperturbed. Rather, we are being propelled to work harder to ensure victory in the elections while we explore appropriate means of handling the issues. Ultimately, it will be victory for us as candidates of the PDP.’’
Also, the acting chairman, LanreOmolase, in his reaction to the dissolution of the state executives, described the decision of the party as an exercise in futility, noting that he remained the party’s chairman until otherwise stated by the court of law.
According to him, “I want to say, proclaim and declare that I am still the acting chairman of the PDP in Ekiti and only the court of law can say otherwise. My position as the acting chairman is as dictated by a court of competent jurisdiction, and the court order is still subsisting.
“The position of the court is that nothing must be done concerning the State Chairmanship of the PDP in Ekiti until final determination of a suit filed when two persons were laying claim the chairmanship of the party. Apart from the fact there is a subsisting court order backing my position, the National Working Committee does not also have powers to sack duly elected Exco members of the party at whatever level.
“Also, I condemn the purported suspension of the National Assembly candidates of the party and wish to state that there was nowhere the candidates were invited to defend themselves as well as dictated by the principle of fair hearing.”
While giving insight into the genesis of the crisis, Omolase said “Our complaint was about composition of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in which members of Social Democratic Party (SDP) were accorded vantage positions.
“Our position was that SDP has National Assembly candidates whose elections will be held same day as that of the President, and the party is only interested in funding its candidates with resources from PDP. Letters were written, even to the Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but nothing was done.
“For the campaign rally, only two out of nine National Assembly candidates were involved. Even I, as the acting chairman, was totally ignored. It, therefore, appears funny and laughable to me that NWC that did not visit Ekiti during the last governorship election is now angry that we did not attend a presidential rally that we were never involved in its planning.”
Just about 30 days to the February 25 elections, stakeholders within and outside the party are of the belief that the ongoing upheaval would have negative effect on the chances of the PDP in the state, especially the presidential election. While some political watchers disagree with the leadership of the party on the timing of the decisions, others are of the opinion that the suspension and dissolution were apt and long overdue if the party desires good outing during the elections in the state.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
