Condemnation has continued to trail the alleged adoption of the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Prof. Olusola Eleka, as the “preferred Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate” for the 2018 gubernatorial election.
The exercise that produced Eleka was coordinated by his boss, Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The latest uprising against the move, which has been roundly condemned by quite a number of the stakeholders in Ekiti State chapter of the PDP, was led by Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement.
The group is the campaign the organization of the front runner for the PDP governorship ticket, Dayo Adeyeye, who is the spokesman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee.
PAAM in a protest letter signed by over 180 members of the PDP, drawn across all the Wards in the 16 Local Government Areas of the State, and forwarded to the office of the Chairman, PDP Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, decried the unilateral adoption of Eleka.
The group in the protest letter decried the process leading to the alleged adoption, saying it was an act of impunity by Fayose.
The party members, made up of important dignitaries who had served in different public offices, dissociated themselves from the adoption and asked the party leadership not to reckon with it.
All party structures in the state, from Ward level, were accused of compromising their position by taking part one way or another in the adoption saga, which was pointed out as contravening some sections of the PDP constitution.
As a remedy, the national leadership of the PDP was urged to dissolve the party executives right from Ward level up to the state executives for betraying the trust reposed in them as custodians of the party’s ethos.
According to the petitioners, any attempt to sustain the act of illegality will adversely affect the cohesion being rebuilt in the party and thereafter, the chances of the party at the general election.
The governor was also condemned by the PAAM members who accused him of going outside his mandate and expected leadership role, which placed on him the burden of an unbiased leader.
Explaining the circumstances under which the alleged adoption was achieved, the PAAM stated that there was no meeting called with stakeholders, but that a supposed training programme for political office holders was hijacked by Fayose and literally forced some persons to sign the contentious communique that was used in advertising the alleged adoption of Eleka.
PAAM said: “Your Excellency Sir, we want to use this medium to bring to your notice the on-going obnoxious and anti-democratic tendencies of the Ekiti-State PDP Structure which are capable of plunging our party into another round of political turmoil in the state, and which may affect our fortunes in 2018 gubernatorial election in Ekiti-State.
“We are aware that Mr. Ayo Fayose who incidentally doubles as the Governor of Ekiti-State and the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum who supposed to be working in tandem with ethos and principles enunciated by the party constitution has fragrantly violated the said constitution with the reckless act of impunity orchestrated by himself in Ekiti-State government house on September 6th 2017 whereby he hoodwinked some officers of our party into the adoption of his Deputy Prof. Olusola Eleka as the sole candidate for 2018 Gubernatorial election which is yet to be declared open by our party National Leadership as provided for in our constitution particularly at Section 50 (1) (2) & (2b) and Electoral Act 2010.
“It should be noted Sir, that the meeting which resulted to the purported adoption was meant for a training programme for political office holders and party leaders as announced by the Governor in the media but later turned to an adoption meeting for his own sole candidate.
“We would not have been perturbed but for responsible position been held by the set of people in our party in the state.
“We are not unaware of their fundamental right to support any aspirant, but it must be done in a manner that will preserve the rights of other aspirants to have a level plain ground in the contest.
“It is most unbecoming to compel and hoodwink party officers to sign a prepaid document that was meant to adopt a particular aspirant as a sole candidate for an election, the primary of which may not be until very late in the first quarter of 2018.
“Sir, it may interest you to know the level of involvement of your officers in Ekiti-State Chapter of the PDP in the said purported adoption.
“Hon. Alh. Amuda signed for and on behalf of Ward Chairman; Hon. Olufemi Bamisile Clement signed for and on behalf of all local Government party Chairman; Pastor Tope Adejorin (Secretary SWC) signed for and on behalf of PDP state working committee.
“The Governor’s appointees that signed are; Mrs. Modupe Alade for the State Executive Council, Rt. Hon. Oluwawole signed for the House of Assembly, Senator Bode Ola signed for the Chairmen and member of Boards and Parastatals.
“All these were done in the Government House in presence of Ekiti-State PDP State Chairman, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase.
“Consequently, upon the above, we want to say unequivocally that all the PDP Structure in Ekiti-State from the Ward level to the State level had compromised their position as officers of our great party who are under obligation to give all party members the opportunity and a level plain field to pursue their political ambitions within the ambit of the party constitution which they had sworn to uphold.”
Consequently, the petitioners demanded as follows: “That the Governor of Ekiti-State is an interested party in the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election in the state, this had shown in the way and manner at which he stage managed the purported adoption. This singular act has demeaned the position of a Father-Figure he ought to represent in the party.
“That the entire Ekiti-State PDP Executive should be dissolved with immediate effect from Ward level to the state level and constitute Caretaker Committees that would be unbiased and neutral in dealing with all aspirants.
“That none of the people in the class above must have anything doing directly or indirectly with the process of conduct of primary election in Ekiti-State as regards the 2018 gubernatorial election.
“That the party at National Level should call the Governor to order from further heating up the polity in Ekiti-State and not to scuttle the chances of the party from winning the 2018 election.
“That the National Secretariat PDP should take special interest in the matter of Ekiti-state as regards 2018 election so as not to allow the party to be drifted to another round of litigation that the party experienced for 14 months through a similar acts of impunity from the same quarter.”
Some of those who signed the petition were Rt. Hon. Dele Olugbemi (former Speaker Ekiti State House of Assembly); Afolabi Ojuawo, former Secretary to the State Government; Chief Mosu Aguda, former Senatorial District Chairman; Hon. B. J. Abegunde, former Member House of Representatives; Longe Sule, former House of Assembly Majority Leader; Hon. Segun Ola, former member Ekiti State House of Assembly; Chief Femi Balogun, former Chairman, Teaching Service Commission and Afenifere leader; Hon. Sola Oke, former Member, Ekiti State House of Assembly; Hon. Deji Adesua, former Commissioner; and Prince Ade Alonge, party leader and Afenifere Chieftain.