‘YOMI AYELESO reports that less than three months to the general election, a deep crisis is brewing again in the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the rejection of the Presidential Campaign Council Management team list for the state by the appointed chairman, Bisi Kolawole and National Assembly candidates loyal to former Governor Ayodele Fayose.
In the last three years, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has been enmeshed in a leadership crisis which has defied several troubleshooting efforts from state, zonal and national stakeholders of the party. The infighting culminated in the abysmal performance of the party during the June 18, 2022 governorship election. While the national headquarters of the party during the tenure of former chairman, Uche Secondus failed to resolve the crisis after several attempts, the current national leadership under Senator Iyorchia Ayu appeared helpless and handicapped in bringing the warring groups and diverse interest together for the overall success of the party.
The crisis is traced to the supremacy battle between a former Minority Leader of the Senate, Biodun Olujimi and former Governor Ayodele Fayose over the soul of the party. This prolonged muscle-flexing resulted in massive defections of some PDP members and leaders to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the build-up to the governorship poll. The results of the June 18 poll showed the strength of those who left for the SDP, including its candidate, Chief Segun Oni, who came second in the election ahead of the PDP candidate, Bisi Kolawole just about three months of mobilisation and campaign before the election.
Since the beginning of campaign on September 28 for the 2023 general election, PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa have postponed the presidential rally for Ekiti State three times owing to the lingering crisis and lack of common ground among the gladiators in the state. The groups and tendencies have failed to agree on a presidential campaign list after several compilation , which many believe would have negative effects in terms of mobilization for the rally if all interests are not given sense of belonging.
It was gathered that in view of the public stance of former governor, Ayodele Fayose and relationship with now famous G-5 governors being spearheaded by Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike on the 2023 election, some forces within the party in Ekiti impressed it on the national leadership not to allow Fayose and his allies to play prominent roles in the February election. To these anti-Fayose forces, they were of the firm belief that the elections, especially that of the presidential election might be sabotaged, if the entire campaign structure and management is handed over to the former governor’s camp.
The assertion by these forces appeared to have gained ground in the outright rejection of PCC list compiled by the Fayose group and submitted to the national campaign council. On the other hand, the national PCC released a list on Sunday with many interests accommodated including those who worked for the SDP during the last June 18 governorship election. Sources close to the Director General of the PCC and governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal suggested that the latest compilation of names by the national council was aimed at further enhancing PDP’s chance during the elections considering the outcome of the last governorship election. It was learnt that there was an agreement and understanding by the PDP national leaders with those who worked for the SDP in Ekiti ahead of next year February.
However, the decision has been met wide reservations and rejection by some stakeholders, including National Assembly candidates and former governorship candidate, Bisi Kolawole. Report had it that the rejection of the campaign list and appointments by majority in Fayose’s camp were fallout of the governorship poll and the politics of the impending presidential election. Kolawole in a letter addressed to Tambuwal and dated December 18,2022, he claimed that most members of the campaign list released by the party were in the SDP and worked against the PDP and his ambition during the governorship poll, hence his rejection of the appointment.
He wondered over the decision of the party to reject the list he compiled after consultation with stakeholders. Nonetheless, he reaffirmed that he would continue in his personal capacity to be committed and loyal to the party. According to him, it amounts to condoling disloyalty and indiscipline for the party to reward other party members, which he said would send a wrong message to the public about the opposition party. After providing a detailed account of events that culminated into the list, he said: “However, in spite that I regard this appointment as a honour, I wish to state that I will not be able to function in the midst of people who openly and gladly worked against my election. As it was done in other states, I was given a template and instructed to come up with list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee. In arriving at the list, I followed the template and consulted relevant stakeholders, most importantly National Assembly candidates whose elections are on the same date as that of the president. Also, in the meeting with the vice presidential candidate of our party, His Excellency, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, it was agreed that the list was okay and that it should only be moderated by including about three or five names. By ignoring that list and including people who are still in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), it is a clear indication that the presidential campaign Organisation does not respect its own decisions.” He raised some teasers on the fallout of the twist in events over the list. “Also, the SDP members included in the Campaign Management Committee are people who left PDP before the governorship election, and have not returned to the party. With their inclusion in the campaign committee, how will they function when their party, the SDP, is also fielding candidates for National Assembly and the National Assembly elections will hold same day as that of the President? Will they be campaigning for the presidential candidate of our party and at the same time be campaigning for the senatorial and House of Representatives’ candidates of the SDP? While I am not against the party and its presidential candidate having working arrangements with members of other parties, including the SDP, I am however of the belief that such arrangements should not amount to rewarding people who decamped to other parties to work against the PDP with membership of the party’s campaign committee.”
Aside Olujimi, who is seeking reelection to represent Ekiti south senatorial district and 30-year-old Henrich Akomolafe running as House of Representatives’ candidate for Ekiti South federal constituency 1, other PDP National Assembly candidates in Ekiti believed to be loyal to Fayose have also rejected the campaign list. The National Assembly members include two senatorial candidates; Lateef Ajijola (Ekiti Central) and Funso Ayeni (Ekiti North) and five House of Representative candidate; Yinka Akerele (Ekiti North 1), Lere Olayinka (Ekiti Central 2), Emiola Jennifer,(Ekiti South 2),Joju Fayose (Ekiti Central 1 and Babatunde Ajayi (Ekiti North 2). The candidates said that it would be against the interest of the party and its candidates to allow membership of SDP loyalists into the campaign council when their party would be on the ballots come 2023. They said: “Our attention has been drawn to Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee for Ekiti State, as released by your good self, being circulated on various social media platforms. In the list, the majority of the nominees are not members of the PDP. They are SDP members. Furthermore, majority of the rest who are PDP members did not win their polling units in the last governorship election. Our elections will be held alongside that of the president.The implication is that members of SDP will work against us as our Senatorial Directors of Campaign for our elections. To this end, as stakeholders/candidates whose elections will hold alongside the presidential election, we the underlisted candidates reject the composition of the Campaign Management Committee and demand implementation of the earlier list submitted by the party.”
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But a group within the party, the PDP Patriots, in a statement by its spokesperson, Richard Akinpelu, commended the compilation of the campaign list, noting that the members of the team would deliver victory for the presidential candidate and other PDP candidates in the election. He said the action affirmed the commitment of the PDP to the principle of inclusion as opposed to the mentality of dominance by a certain force. “We are not unaware of the machinations of those who want to continue to make the PDP in Ekiti their pot of soup and cash cow; where they hold the party to ransom for political bargaining with the opposition to destabilise the formation of the Presidential Campaign Committee. No doubt, we have wronged one another and sane minds would thought we had taken enough pound of flesh from one another by wasting our chance of returning to power in the last governorship election. A situation whereby members who had earlier congratulated one another for making the Ekiti PCC list began to write resignation letters after being instructed to do so by one of the party’s supposed leaders is condemnable. This cannot be the time for ego-tripping; it is indeed a time for all lovers of the long suffering Ekiti masses to forgive one another, unite and work for the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (GCON).” The group called on the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council “to immediately draft in real lovers of the party on the list to fill up the vacuum of those who have rejected their appointments as one man’s ego should not perpetually hold down the party in Ekiti.”
Also, one of those allegedly accused to have worked for the SDP during the governorship poll and made the presidential campaign list, Senator Duro Faseyi, said he alongside other aggrieved members voted for the SDP candidate in protest against the handling of the PDP primaries in the state. According to him, “ The ridiculous assertion by these confused individuals stating I’m a SDP member in Ekiti North is not only laughable, but a flagrant discharge of ignorance. It’s on record that myself and many aggrieved members, protested the unholy conduct and fraudulent tendencies of Ayo Fayose, leading us to protest by votes using the SDP. The aftermath of this, I have made a return to the house I built and held meetings from ward, local, constituency, and district levels of Ekiti North with record attendance. It’s the height of hypocrisy and recklessness for anyone hiding under a shattered coverage of indecency tagging me as an SDP member in Ekiti North. I’m committed and already ensuring victory for the PDP from our presidential candidates, and others in the coming general elections across my district.”
As the PDP prepares for the arrival of the presidential candidate to Ekiti in the next few weeks, some observers opined that the earlier the seemingly intractable faceoff in the state chapter is amicably resolved the better for the party to stand to give a good fight during next year’s poll. It has been in opposition in the last five years in the state. It thus requires a united family to regain some lost grounds through its leaders and various candidates. Top do otherwise would be counter-productive as it might create room for internal sabotage, compromise and anti-party activities by some chieftains and members, a trend that is gradually becoming synonymous with Ekiti PDP drawing reference from the last two election cycles.
