Signs that all is not well with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State became obvious on Tuesday with the suspension of former Governor Ayo Fayose, who, Huhuonline.com learnt is making moves to contest the forthcoming election.
Fayose was suspended alongside State Secretary of the party, Tope Aluko; State Women Leader, Busola Oyebode; and State Public Relations Officer, Kola Oluwole.
Announcing their suspension in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Ekiti State Chairman of the party, Makanjuola Ogundipe said the former governor was suspended as a result of the roles he was alleged to have played in the invasion of the state secretariat by hoodlums last week. He said the suspension followed an investigation into the attack conducted by the party, which exposed the connection of Fayose and other suspended party executive members in the state to the attack.
Ogfundipe promised that the indicted members would face the party’s disciplinary committee in the coming days. He denied the allegation that he collected N5 million from an unnamed aspirant living in Abuja to influence his emergence as the party’s consensus candidate.
In his reaction, Fayose said if he is suspended, it means the PDP in the state is dead, as the action against him would mean an outright cancellation of the entire PDP in Ekiti State.
Fayose, who was returned to the party by Bamangar Tukur after he left in anger following his impeachment as Governor, said Ogundipe was not qualified to suspend him, since he is bigger than the state chairman.
“This is not only laughable but ignoble; suspending Fayose is like suspending PDP in Ekiti. Fayose is an institution that cannot be excised from a party like PDP,” he said.
“It is the national leadership of PDP, not Ogundipe that can suspend Fayose who toiled to make the party occupy its present position as major opposition party in the state today.”
