PDP factions trade blames as hoodlums attack Sheriff faction’s Ado Ekiti office

The office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to Senattor Ali Modu Sheriff in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital was on Tuesday attacked by people suspected to be political thugs.

The PDP faction in the state chaired by Chief Williams Ajayi, which has its office located at Nova road, Adebayo area along Ado-Iworoko road in the capital city of the state had its office flags tore, and pulled down.

Addressing journalists on the matter, the Deputy Chairman of the group, Engr. Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi, fingered Barr Gboyega Oguntuase-led faction, known to be loyal to Governor Ayo
Fayose, as the mastermind of the attack.

The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, had in its judgement of January 24, 2017 delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, declared Ajayi the authentic Chairman before the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution of the judgement.

But the Publicity Secretary of Oguntuwase-led-PDP in the state, loyal to Fayose in the state, Jackson Adebayo, dismissed the allegation, saying it was part of the orchestrated plan by the PDP renegades to continue to tarnish the image of the party in the state.

The Appellate court also urged the two factions to maintain a status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Ogunbiyi said: “We left the office on Tuesday at about 6pm and only to return today around 7am and saw the flags erected brought down. The assailants scaled the fence and destroyed all the flags and the louvre blades of our office.

“They even made spirited efforts to gain entry into the office, but they could not. As we speak now, our lives are being threatened and we want the public to be aware of this. However, we had an inkling that our office will be attacked with the threat issued by one of the Oguntuase’s execute to us when we met recently at the court of appeal that our office will be attacked.

“Last week also, Governor Fayose went to a nearby spot within the vicinity of the office and distributed rice to the people. We are sure that the Oguntuase’s people are behind this and we need a prompt action from the security agencies”.

Ogunbiyi said the faction’s lawyer, Niran Owoseeni has taken up the matter and that a formal letter is already being prepared to be taken to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe, for proper action.

The Fayose faction, which reacted on the telephone through the publicity secretary, said the authentic PDP in Ekiti is working round the clock to sensitise the people of the state on the
need to remain loyal and vote for the PDP when elections come, while Ajayi and his co-travelers are making frivolous allegations.

“I saw what they are calling the press for and I concluded that they are still in shock how they got to that sorry pass. There were storm and erosion, which affected their building and they are claiming that reasonable people would leave their jobs to be digging their fences and destroying blocks.

“They should be pitied rather than responded to because there’s no such thing as what they are alleging,” Adebayo added.