The war of attrition pitting Former Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose and Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi took a dramatic escalation on Tuesday, after the two political inaugurated parallel campaign councils for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. In his capacity as PDP campaign South West Coordinator, Fayose inaugurated the council members in Ado Ekiti, in line with list of names reportedly approved by the PDP national secretariat. However, Olujimi, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, inaugurated a parallel council at a different location, in Ado Ekiti, accusing Fayose of greed and manipulation of the list for pecuniary reasons. Depending on whose side, you are on; the two inaugurations were well attended by chieftains of the party from the Senate, state House of Assembly, House of Representatives and former Local Government chairmen. The state PDP chairman, Gboyega Oguntuase has however said that the Fayose-led Council is the legitimate campaign council for the PDP in Ekiti state.
In a petition to Uche Secondus, the PDP chairman, Olujimi accused Fayose of hijacking the campaign council and injecting his cronies in all strategic positions with a view to sidelining other PDP members from participating in mobilizing voters for the PDP in the forthcoming elections. This, she said, was contrary to the list agreed by party stakeholders and therefore, urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to disband and reconstitute the council in the interest of the party in the forthcoming elections.
To forestall crisis in the PDP ahead of the February 16 polls, Olujimi urged Secondus to compel Fayose to respect the resolutions reached by stakeholders on the composition of the council at a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado-Ekiti on December 28, 2018.
Huhuonline.com has learnt that while the Olujimi inauguration took place at the Ajilosun area of the state capital and was attended by members of the party loyal to her, Fayose’s inauguration on the other hand, took place at his former campaign office in Adebayo area of the state capital, now renamed ” Atiku/Obi campaign office”.
Fayose, while inaugurating his version of the campaign council described Olujimi’s effort as a nullity. He warned that he might use his position, to mobilize the people to vote out those he described as “traitors” in the coming election. “They need me more than I need them, because in my own case, I have got nothing to lose as I am not contesting any elective position. We will ask our people to vote against these betrayers, “he said. Olujimi is seeking re-election to the Senate in the election slated for March.
According to Fayose, the campaign council was carefully selected in agreement with the National Secretariat of the party, to represent all shades of opinion in the state PDP, wondering what the complaint about greed was all about.
In his remarks the Chairman of the campaign council for Fayose’s camp and former Deputy Governor, Prof Kolapo Olusola also distanced himself from the Olujimi campaign group, describing them as illegitimate. “There is no alternative campaign council except this one. Any other campaign council where my name appears outside the one inaugurated by our leader, the governor, is illegal”.
At the inauguration of her campaign council, Olujimi said that injustice breeds impunity adding that if the party stakeholders met and selected people, no individual, including Fayose, has the right to void same. She said though she was not a party to the selection of the campaign council, she has the right to continue with the assignment.
