The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Ekiti State have raised objection to the five-man committee constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to serve on the Ward Congresses Electoral Committee in the state.
The stakeholders said since the announcement they had been inundated with calls that “the committee Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, enjoys a personal relationship with former Governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose,” who the stakeholders claimed, was a major interested party in the gubernatorial exercise.
According to the stakeholders: “Already, the camp of Fayose had been in a jubilant mood since the announcement, saying it publicly that the ad-hoc exercise on Saturday January 15, 2022 would be a “coronation of their compiled list.”
“It is not hidden to stakeholder in Ekiti that Fayose and Emmanuel are buddies. Already, tension is brewing in the party and it could lead to more disenchantment and problems.”
In a petition, RE: EKITI STATE GUBERNATORIAL EXERCISE: WARD CONGRESSES ELECTORAL COMMITTEE AND OUR OBJECTION, and signed on behalf of the stakeholders by Chief Ajayi Adebayo (Ekiti North); Evangelist Peter Adekunle (Ekiti South); and Mrs Idowu Akerele (Ekiti Central), the stakeholds therefore demanded “immediate substitution of the Chairman of the Committee or his representative and we request for an immediate vetting of the entire list to ensure neutrality as demanded by all the aspirants contesting the January 26, 2022 PDP Governorship primaries.
“The appointment of a governor or chairman and persons who are neutral in Ekiti matters and who the condition of reciprocation cannot apply. For instance, Mr Fayose was the Party’s Panel Chairman who conducted the 2019 Governorship Primaries in Akwa Ibom State. Even though it was a no-contest exercise, he was specially picked as the Friend of the governor to do it.
The stakeholders claimed that Agency Report on Premiumtimesng.com September 30, 2018 asserted that: “Mr Emmanuel was announced as the candidate by the PDP panel chairman, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti who conducted the primaries. Mr Fayose said that Mr Emmanuel polled a total of 3,807 votes out of 3,817 votes cast, adding that 10 votes were voided.
He said Mr Emmanuel was the only aspirant of the party in the state and explained that the delegates had to vote in order to complete due process in line with the electoral law.”
They noted that the Ekiti governorship election is too important to be toyed with as it is the trigger for the 2023 general elections.
“We, therefore, ask the party to set up an independent investigation team to attend to some serious allegations about Ekiti PDP.
“We wish to ask some pertinent questions, sir, is former governor Fayose an aspirant in the coming party primaries in Ekiti State? Why is the party indulging him to use this process to corner the party and settle scores? Is the PDP a private enterprise of individuals?
“We want you to know that as soon as tomorrow’s three-man ad-hoc election is completely manipulated through the friends of Fayose, who is the architect of the problem Ekiti PDP is facing, we will now realize we are running speedily backward from the expected victory of 2022, and the targeted goal of 2023.
“We are worried that instead of applying ideal medication of fielding eminently qualified candidate through genuine reconciliation, alignments (of viable leaders) and application of conflict transformation tools, but ignorantly, our party is presently playing with a sharper bayonet could likely cause another deeper wound.
“The plot to sell PDP to the APC in Ekiti is real. We urge you to investigate. Ekiti 2022 and Nigeria 2023 are seriously hanging in the balance with this plot,” they added.
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