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Tag: Ayo Fayose

  • Aspirants urge party to drop PDP candidate

    Aspirants urge party to drop PDP candidate

    Thirteen aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State have rejected the emergence of former Governor Ayo Fayose as the party’s flag bearer in the June 21 governorship election.

    They said Fayose’s choice would cost the PDP the election.

    The aspirants adopted Senator Gbenga Aluko as their consensus candidate.

    They said they chose Aluko to save the party the “tragedy” of fielding an “ineligible” candidate.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday in Abuja, Aluko said having been impeached as governor in 2006, Fayose is not eligible to contest any election until 2016, when his impeachment would have run the mandatory 10-year period of grace.

    Aluko, who spoke for 12 other aspirants, said Fayose is currently facing murder and corruption charges in various courts and it would be unwise for the party to field him while the cases are still pending.

    He said the party’s decision to field Fayose in the election has divided members, “some of who have been reaching out to opposition parties with the view to either defect or work against the PDP at the election”.

    Aluko said: “In most communities in Ekiti State, it is shameful to be seen following Fayose. As a matter of fact, the majority of our people are now saying that it is better for them to stick with Governor Kayode Fayemi than to follow Fayose.

    “Already, our party is undergoing serious meltdown in Ekiti because of Fayose. Out of our 16 local government chairmen, 11 of them are talking with the opposition; 12 of our 16 women leaders are reaching out to the opposition; eight of our 16 youth leaders are talking with opposition parties.

    “This was the same Fayose who contested for Senate on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and lost. Our party leaders in Abuja are claiming that he won the governorship election in 2003, but as players in that election, we all know how he won that election.”

    Urging President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership to withdraw Fayose’s name and replace it with that of Aluko as the party’s flag bearer, the aspirants said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) window is still open for us to present our consensus candidate. If the PDP insists on fielding Fayose, majority of our supporters will leave the party.

    “We do not understand why the leadership of our party wants to inflict this blindness on the enlightened people of Ekiti State. It is only in a country like Nigeria that you see this type of thing happening.

    “The PDP national chairman is from Bauchi; his deputy is from Rivers and the National Organising Secretary is from Kaduna. Instead of them to listen to party leaders in the Southwest, they are taking decisions that are capable of ruining our chances in Ekiti.

    “If they so wish, let them bring voters from Bauchi, Rivers and Kaduna to vote for Fayose in Ekiti. We can only hope that reason would be allowed to prevail in this matter. If they insist on Fayose, we wish them good luck. June 21 is around the corner. Unfortunately, President Jonathan may be the biggest loser because the presidency is bigger than one state.

    “If we lose in Ekiti and proceed to lose in Osun, we will lose the Southwest. So we are gradually moving towards defeat. We do not want that to happen; that is why we are saying present another candidate and not Fayose.”

    The other aspirants include Adeyanju Bodunde; Dayo Adeyeye; Adubiaro Abibat; Ajayi Deji and Abiodun Aluko.

    The rest are Aribisala Adewale; Bejide Oluwadare; Obafemi Peter; Ogunbolude Ropo; Ogundipe Modupe; Olubolade Caleb and Omoyeni Adebisi.

     

  • Criticisms trail Fayose’s emergence as PDP flag bearer

    Criticisms trail Fayose’s emergence as PDP flag bearer

    Former Police Affairs Minister Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade (rtd.) and Senator Ayo Arise have rejected last Saturday’s congress of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, where former Governor Ayo Fayose emerged as the party’s candidate for the June 21 governorship election.

    They called for the cancellation of the congress and the conduct of a fresh one.

    In separate statements yesterday, they said the congress was a sham and did not represent the wishes of the majority of PDP members.

    In a statement signed by the Secretary of the Olubolade Campaign Organisation, Mr. Remi Osabusua, the former minister urged party leaders to cancel the primary.

    He said after considering all sides to the issue, he “came to the conclusion that it fell short of acceptable standard”.

    The statement reads: “The exercise was clearly manipulated from Abuja in favour of Fayose, as other aspirants were shut out and election materials made available only to him, thereby turning the event into a one aspirant show.”

    Arise called for the “urgent” intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, saying: “The way things are going, PDP might lose Ekiti and that will be disastrous.”

    He said he had no problem with anyone who emerges as the party’s candidate, but “the process through which the candidate emerges must be free, fair and transparent”.

    Arise said: “Mr. President should intervene as the leader of the party before things get out of hands. I trust he would not allow the party to collapse because of the ambition of an individual.

    “My position was made clear from the beginning. I made it clear that I will support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate through a process that is free, fair and transparent. However, what happened on Saturday was a charade that cannot be acceptable to men of good conscience and I state it categorically that Ekiti PDP does not have an acceptable governorship candidate yet.

    “We all can see the results of the manipulated process. The State Legal Adviser, Hon. Kola Adefemi, who is the number one legal officer of the PDP in Ekiti State, has resigned, faulting the ward congresses and the primary election. The state secretariat was set on fire this morning and many of our men are threatening to leave the party.

    “Notable stakeholders of the party are angry, not because of the person who emerged from the controversial primary, but because the process was openly manipulated. I doubt if any full-blooded Ekiti person will accept what happened on Saturday and queue behind Fayose as the PDP candidate.”

    A PDP member, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “This party will not know peace until the decision to impose Fayose on it is changed by those who lead us. Fayose represents a force that opposes the spirit of progress in the party. Should calls for Fayose’s removal be rejected, Ekiti PDP risks going into extinction. People will move en masse and there will be no remedy. This is the truth.”

     

  • Fire at Ekiti PDP secretariat

    Fire at Ekiti PDP secretariat

    There was a fire yesterday at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the fire affected a section of the secretariat’s first floor.

    This is coming barely five days after the governorship primary that produced former Governor Ayo Fayose as the party’s flag bearer in the June 21 election.

    The cause of the fire is still unknown. Police spokesman Victor Babayemi said it would be probed.

    PDP Publicity Director Kola Kolawole said people with “evil minds” might be responsible for the incident.

    An eye witness, who pleaded for anonymity, the incident would have been more devastating, if not for the early intervention of men of the State Fire Service.

  • Fire at Ekiti PDP secretariat

    Fire at Ekiti PDP secretariat

    There was a fire yesterday at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the fire affected a section of the secretariat’s first floor.

    This is coming barely five days after the governorship primary that produced former Governor Ayo Fayose as the party’s flag bearer in the June 21 election.

    The cause of the fire is still unknown. Police spokesman Victor Babayemi said it would be probed.

    PDP Publicity Director Kola Kolawole said people with “evil minds” might be responsible for the incident.

    An eye witness, who pleaded for anonymity, the incident would have been more devastating, if not for the early intervention of men of the State Fire Service.

  • Fayose sets up campaign organisation

    The flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 21 June governorship election in Ekiti State, former Governor Ayo Fayose, has appointed Chief Dipo Anisulowo as the Director-General of his campaign organisation. In a statement yesterday, Fayose named other members of the team as Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, Deputy Director-General; Chief Akin Awodunmila, Treasurer; and Chief Gboyega Aribisogan, Publicity Chairman.

  • ‘Ekiti PDP should have presented a credible candidate’

    ‘Ekiti PDP should have presented a credible candidate’

    •Fayemi Campaign warns Fayose against undemocratic acts

    •’Bamidele is inconsistent’

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi’s campaign organisation has accused the Presidency of master-minding the emergence of former Governor Ayo Fayose as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) flag bearer in the June 21 governorship election.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Dimeji Daniels, the organisation alleged that Fayose was “teleguided to win the PDP primary.

    It said it was sad that the PDP could not present a better candidate than Fayose, who was impeached while in office and is on trial for alleged corrupt practices.

    Stating that Fayose is well known for his “anti-democratic credentials”, Daniels said: “What this means is that the Jonathan presidency and the PDP have no sense of history regarding Ekiti people. Ekiti people have been known to resist shady characters. Fayose was sent packing with his tail between his legs by Ekiti people when it became apparent that he had no respect for human dignity. By throwing up Fayose in the race, the PDP is clearly trying to relive the gory details of the past.

    “Fayose, who is now the bride of the PDP, was indicted by a four-man security team instituted by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, when the panel wrote in its report that Fayose had zero tolerance for opposition.

    “We want the President and the PDP to know that the days when Fayose could ride roughshod in Ekiti State are over. Any undemocratic act by Fayose and his Ogun State wanted fugitive friend will be resisted. We are putting Fayose on notice that he should conduct himself peacefully; otherwise, he would be visited with the wrath of Ekiti people just like in 2006, when he was sent packing with his tail between his legs in the dead of the night.

    “It is insulting enough that Fayose ever ruled a progressive state of forward-looking people like Ekiti. It is more insulting that the Presidency and the PDP have thrown him up as their candidate again as though we are still in the Stone Age. Though Fayose cannot win a councillorship election in his hometown of Afao-Ekiti, it is insulting to have him contest the governorship election in our dear state, particularly after the internationally acknowledged performance of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration in the past three-and-a-half years and the elevated level of political discourse and culture. This is why Ekiti people, irrespective of political affiliations, would unite to ward off this insult.

    “The case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Fayose is still in court. It would not be a surprise if he eventually runs his campaign between his campaign office and various court-rooms where he is being tried for alleged murder and corruption.

    “The Fayose administration built the 10.745 kilometres Ado/Afao road, but the road did not last six months. As is Fayose’s tradition, it was another cosmetic project. The unfortunate part of it is that Afao is Fayose’s hometown, but it did not matter to him if the road was of standard quality or not.

    “That was the first road built by the Fayemi administration and three years down the line, the road is still in good condition. That is the road Fayose now uses to access his town from the state capital. Twenty eight senior citizens in Fayose’s hometown are beneficiaries of the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly. This is besides the 10 young persons enrolled by the State Youth Volunteer Corps, who earn N10,000 monthly.

    “Under the community self-help projects of the Fayemi administration, the hall in Fayose’s town was renovated. Fayemi has done more for Afao-Ekiti people than Fayose did.”

    On the allegation of Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, a governorship aspirant of the Labour Party (LP), that the Fayemi administration had “squandered” over N400 billion since 2012, Daniels said the Federal Allocation that accrued to the state during this period plus the N25 billion bond accessed from the capital market by the state government were not up to N150 billion.

    Wondering where Bamidele got the N400 billion figure from, he said the aspirant “has never been consistent in his words and actions and should be disregarded”.

    Daniels said: “This same man tried to use the 2006 census figures to mislead the people last year. He claimed that there were over 494,000 houses in Ekiti State, but that was in 2006. Bamidele built his house in Iyin-Ekiti after 2006. So, the number of houses in Ekiti in 2006 cannot be the same as in 2013.

    “When he defected to the LP, he alleged that he did so because there would be no primary for governorship aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC), but on the floor of the House of Representatives, he said the reason for his defection was because his party, the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), merged with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

    “That tells you how inconsistent Bamidele is. As it is, he has reached the end of his political career and he knows it, but like a beheaded snake, he must writhe a bit. That is what he is doing now – writhing in pain.”

  • ‘Don’t bring Mr. President into this’

    ‘Don’t bring Mr. President into this’

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has said President Goodluck Jonathan had nothing to do with the emergence of former Governor Ayo Fayose as the party’s standard bearer for the June 21 governorship poll.

    Reacting to the Governor Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation’s (APC’s) allegation that the Presidency masterminded Fayose’s emergence, PDP’s Director of Publicity Mr. Gboyega Aribisoga said: “Fayose is the choice of the Ekiti people.”

    Aribisogan said: “PDP members in Ekiti , on their own, decided on a candidate of their choice in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

    “Mr. President, the National Chairman and the National Working Committee advocated a constitutional arrangement and stood by it.

    “If Fayemi is alleging that Fayose is being foisted on Ekiti, it goes to show that he is jittery. Fayemi is being mischievous by mentioning a case that has been decided by a competent court of law. Mr. President should not be brought into this issue at all.”

     

  • Ekiti: Olubolade, 14 others boycott PDP guber primary

    Ekiti: Olubolade, 14 others boycott PDP guber primary

    Mr. Ayodele Fayose yesterday emerged the PDP governorship candidate in the forthcoming June 21, 2014 election, after a rancorous primary in Ado-Ekiti.

    It was boycotted by 15 other aspirants who had alleged manipulation of the process leading to the primary.

    Also absent was the State Chairman of the party, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, former deputy governor of the state, Chief Abiodun Aluko and Prince Dayo Adeyeye had faulted, in particular, the conduct of the ward congresses across the 177 centres in the state, alleging that they were “massively rigged” in favour of Fayose.

    Fayose, who governed the state from May 2003 until his exit in controversial circumstances in October 2006, got the backing of 462 delegates out of 544.

    The immediate past Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), came a distant second with seven votes, while Adeyeye got three votes and Mrs. Margaret Ogundipe received one.

    Four votes were voided, according to the Chairman of the Special State Congress Committee and former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili.

    Fayose’s 15 opponents in the primary protested the conduct of the primary and its outcome.

    They called for the cancellation of the result and Fayose’s disqualification on the ground that he was ineligible to contest.

    Addressing reporters, Mr. Abiodun Aluko, condemned the processes which led to Fayose’s victory.

    Another aspirant, Senator Gbenga Aluko, urged the leadership of the party to “cancel the outcome of the primaries.”

    He said: “First is the eligibility of former Governor Ayo Fayose to contest. He is not a bonafide member of our party, the PDP. Legally, he cannot contest the primary and we are in court over that.

    “Also, the ward delegate congress conducted last Wednesday was seriously skewed in favour of Fayose. In five local governments including Ikere, Ado, Gboyin, Emure. Ise/Orun and Efon, no congresses took place, yet results were compiled for those areas.

    “Apart from that, the other places where the election held, there were electoral malpractices such as snatching of electoral materials. Since July last year, the leadership of the party, including President Goodluck Jonathan have been harping on the need for consensus to avoid acrimony.

    “You can see what happened today (yesterday), it was only this Fayose who opposed the consensus method and we are going to see what happens next. We are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan and well-meaning PDP leaders to right the wrong that has been done.”

    The aspirants maintained that Fayose was not a member of the PDP, as his readmission into the party did not satisfy Chapter II, Section 8 (17) of the party constitution.

    “Therefore, an appropriate candidate for the party, not Ayo Fayose will be chosen by our party. That candidate will go ahead and win the June 21 election by the grace of God,” they vowed.

    On the primary, the aspirants said; “A supposed primary is said to be going on now. But we all know that a primary election is not done by only one person. A primary is done by at least two people.

    “13 out of the 14 governorship aspirants of the PDP in Ekiti State are here present. It is only Ayo Fayose, a non-member of the PDP that is at the Eagle Centre doing the fraudulent primary.

    Some of the aggrieved aspirants, including Olubolade, Adeyeye, Dare Bejide, Biodun Aluko, Modupe Ogundipe had gone to the venue, protesting the conduct of the primary.

    The police would have none of that and proceeded to fire gunshots into the air and canisters of tear gas at the protesters and their supporters.

    One of the aspirants, Mr. Deji Ajayi, had, during the week, filed a suit on behalf of the 12 other aspirants against the candidature of Ayo Fayose while another aspirant, Adeyeye, declined participation in the party’s primary election.

    He said in a statement on Friday that in spite of the glaring flaws in last Wednesday’s ward congresses, the primary election was still going to hold on the basis of the grossly doctored delegate list purportedly generated from the exercise.

    “As we speak, list of delegates that they fraudulently compiled four weeks ago in connivance with some Abuja people are the ones they want to use for the primary. They have replaced the names of the authentic delegates elected in the 11 local councils where the ward congresses took place with those of Ayo Fayose’s men,” Adeyeye alleged.

    But in its reaction, the Ayò Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO) said the aspirants who went to court are bad losers who should be ignored by the people.

    Speaking on behalf of AFCO, its Director of Publicity and Research, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said: “They are deceiving the people of Ekiti State and Nigerians. The people that went to court know that going to court is not the same thing as getting an injunction. The case has not been assigned to a judge. So, there was no injunction against the primary election. Nigerians should ignore them.”

    Another aspirant, Mr. Bisi Omoyeni said the conduct of the primary was unthinkable and unrealistic.

    In a statement at the end of a meeting with his supporters at Ikere Ekiti, Omoyeni described the purported primary as the biggest joke of the decade.

    “This is a charade and one of the biggest political jokes of the decade. It is the figment of the imagination of a clique of people whose integrity and credibility have long been thrown into the trash can, because of their self-serving and parochial interest,” he said, adding: “Ekiti people are bigger than a single individual. If 13 aspirants can come to agreement with Mr. President because of the need to maintain the unity and sanctity of our party, I see no justification for that show of shame that took place in Ado Ekiti. This is laughable, mischievous and an indication that if urgent attention is not taken by the national leadership of the party to redress the situation, PDP may be heading into a serious crisis in Ekiti”.

    •As Fayose emerges party’s governorship candidate

    Moments before the primary kicked off around 11 am, there was palpable tension especially around Ajilosun area down to Great Eagles Events Centre, venue of the event, as loyalists of all other aspirants, apart from those of former Governor Ayo Fayose, massed at the main road opposite the venue, singing abusive songs against those they perceived to be out to thwart the yearnings of the people.

    However, Odili in announcing the result of the primary described the conduct of the primary as transparent.

    He said this was done in accordance with the determination of the party leader, President Goodluck Jonathan and its National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu to “reposition the PDP through internal democracy and this we have demonstrated today.”

    Fayose pledged to undertake a process of reconciliation with those aggrieved by the outcome of the primary.

    He said:”Nobody can run a government or party all alone. Losing an election or getting the governorship ticket is not the end of the world. There are other positions like the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives or Senate which they may have interest in. We have to work together for the aspirations of all of us to be met.”

    He claimed to have ‘brought’ Governor Kayode Fayemi into government in 2010 and “I am more determined than ever to return him to where he belongs.”

     

  • Fayose wins Ekiti PDP’s guber primary

    Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has been declared winner of the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary.

    He was declared winner of the election  with 462 votes out of the 477 cast  by the Dr Peter Odili led Electoral Panel on Saturday.

     

     

  • Ekiti poll: PDP drops consensus option

    Ekiti poll: PDP drops consensus option

    •Fixes primary for Saturday

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed Saturday for its primary election in Ekiti State, where the party’s flag bearer for the June 21 poll will be elected.

    The PDP leadership took the decision yesterday after a meeting with the 14 aspirants in Abuja, where the aspirants failed to agree on a consensus candidate.

    It was learnt that one of the aspirants, former Governor Ayo Fayose, insisted on the conduct of a primary election.

    Ward congresses for the selection of delegates for the primaries begins today.

    Speaking with reporters after the meeting, PDP National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh said the need for a primary arose because the aspirants could not agree on the consensus option.

    Metuh said the party would support a consensus option only if all the aspirants agree, adding that the party would go ahead with the primary even if only one aspirant disagreed.