Ekiti PDP Protest Against Fayose Over ‘Anti-Party’ Comment Against Senator Olujimi

By Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti

For about hours on Tuesday, Protest rocked Omuo Ekiti, the headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government, the Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi’s Local Government in the state , as members of the Peoples Democratic Party from Ekiti South Senatorial district gathered to expressed their anger over former Governor, Ayo Fayose’s comment commanding the voters to reject Senator Olujimi’s reelection at the poll. The PDP protesters said it was tantamount to anti-party for Fayose, former PDP governor to have told Ekiti South voters to reject Senator Olujimi for allegedly flexing muscles with the former governor over the leadership of the party in the State and southwest. Fayose had last week went on radio and television and commanded the people to vote for all PDP candidates with the exemption of Olujimi , the Senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district, which some members believed could sabotage the success of the party . Stakeholders of the party had last year November 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 southwest. The placards displayed by protesters include: ‘Stop Personalising PDP, PDP not your Private Estate’, ‘You Have no Power to Give order to Ekiti South Voters’, ‘Stop Your Anti-Party Activities’, among others. Addressing the protesters, former Majority Leader of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon 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. The former commissioner said Olujimi played 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”, he advised. Also speaking during the protest, Former Majority Leader, Hon. 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”, Longe added.