The Atiku-Okowa presidential campaign rally train will land in Ekiti State today to meet the two opposing camps in the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
One of the camps, led by former Governor Ayo Fayose, is at daggers drawn with another camp, led by the senator representing Ekiti South, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi.
Fayose is loyal to the G-5, led by the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, with four other governors of the main opposition having a misunderstanding with the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The governors in the G-5 group are: Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
The governors are insisting on the removal of the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, as a pre-condition to support Atiku’s bid, a demand the PDP candidate has vehemently rejected.
Fayose is campaigning for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ekiti South, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, against Senator Olujimi, who is re-contesting the seat on the platform of the PDP.
Credible PDP sources in Ekiti State told our correspondent on phone yesterday that the rift between Fayose and Olujimi may compound matters for Atiku while in Ekiti.
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One of the sources said Fayose has been unrelenting in his campaign for power shift to the South, as being canvassed by the G-5 governors.
The source said: “Fayose has openly been campaigning for the APC senatorial candidate for Ekiti South, Yemi Adaramodu, against PDP’s Biodun Olujimi who is seeking to retain the seat.
“Don’t forget that Olujimi is a leading figure in the Atiku camp in Ekiti PDP. But the ex-Ekiti governor’s alliance with the G-5 and his campaign for power shift to the South may sway his camp against Atiku during the rally.”
Another party source expressed apprehension over possible clash between the Fayose and Olujimi camps at the Parapo Pavilion designated venue of the rally.
Efforts by our correspondent to speak with Fayose were not successful as his mobile telephone line indicated that it was switched off.
A notice for the rally, issued yesterday by the Director of Field Operations of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Umar Bature, indicated that the rally will start at 10 a.m.
The notice enjoined PDP leaders and members in Ekiti to mobilise supporters from across the wards and local governments to the rally.