Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that the recent Peoples Democratic Party’s peace accord may have crumbled as the leaders go back to the trenches ahead the party primaries
The remnants of the peace accord procured by a delegation that included the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, and former President of the Senate, David Mark, barely a week ago for the Ekiti State chapter of the opposition party, continued to shred all through the week as gubernatorial spirants and other chieftains of the party renewed allegations of high-handedness and political thuggery against Governor Ayodele Fayose and his deputy, Professor Kolapo Olusola.
“If the governor’s camp is not properly called to order, the PDP will lose Ekiti State. If the violence and attacks on party members just because they are supporting Adeyeye or Olujimi continue, PDP will lose the support of even its own members across the state and both Fayose and Olusola, as well as those encouraging them to despise other PDP leaders now, will pay a huge political price,” an elderly party chieftain in Ikere-Ekiti, who sought anonymity, told The Nation.
“Reports about the ongoing party congresses from across the state give the indications that the peace accord reached a week ago is crumbling. Fayose promised not to interfere in the primary election, but he is hand-picking delegates that will vote in the same delegate. He has reneged on the promises he made to our leaders during the peace accord and the implication is that Ekiti PDP will go into the election divided,” our source warned.
Fayose has been constantly accused of a plot to impose his deputy, Olusola, on the party as its governorship candidate for the July election in the state. Amidst crises that threatened the chances of the party at the polls, a number of aspirants and their supporters have dumped the party while some others insist they will not leave the party nor will they allow Fayose have his way.
Worried about the unpleasant developments, the national leadership of the PDP, after months of pockets of interventions that failed to yield fruits, decided to take the bull by the horn. Leading other party leaders, Secondus and Mark stormed Ekiti and summoned Fayose, Olusola and other aspirants and party leaders to a peace parley which resulted in a much hyped peace accord.
Other governorship hopefuls at the parley, aside Olusola, were the Senate Minority Whip, Biodun Olujimi and former Minister for Works, Dayo Adeyeye. Consequently, not only did Fayose say he would give room for a free and fair primary election, he also added that he will temporarily relocate from Ekiti during the primary to ensure his neutrality, saying that without being physically present on the day of election, he would still win the election for his party.
“I want the other aspirants to be comfortable. The ultimate is to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti and Nigeria. I will not do anything that would undermine this process, the party and aspirants. In a matter like this, there will be many interests. I am for Olusola but I will stand by whosoever wins the primaries,” Fayose had assured those present at the peace parley.
In return, Olujimi and Adeyeye pledged to accept the result of the primary provided it was free, fair and transparent. Secondus said: “I assure you once again that there will be transparency and the process would not cheat anybody. I urge you to join the leaders to work together to ensure free, fair and transparent primaries. Trusted and eminent Nigerians will conduct the primaries.
Mark, who chaired the reconciliation committee, said the party has been working on bringing peace to Ekiti by reconciling all parties and that has been done very well, adding: “I thank you for the peaceful agreement to work together. I assure you that the process leading to the final election of whoever will become PDP candidate in Ekiti for the July poll will be free, fair and credible.
Things falling apart
But with the election about three months away and the state PDP congresses to elect delegates that will vote at the primary election now generating more controversies across the state, observers of the politics of the state say the peace accord may have collapsed. Reports say not only are the processes of the congresses across the state being interfered with, supporters of gubernatorial aspirants are also being attacked and prevented from participating in the processes.
State coordinator of the PDP Youth Volunteers, (PYV) group within the party, Tayo Olubodun, while speaking with The Nation, lamented what he described as “the criminal manner in which delegates were being decided across the state.” The PDP chieftain called on Governor Fayose to be wary of those advising him to flout all democratic rules in his quest to force his deputy on the party as gubernatorial candidate.
“Daily, we are hearing tales of how people are being prevented from exercising their rights as party members to determine who their delegates will be. Stories of how aides of the governor are going round with ready-made lists and announcing names when people are supposed to be voting abound across the state. This is happening after the governor signed a peace accord to allow democracy to thrive. I am afraid the accord has failed,” he lamented.
But another chieftain of the party, Hon. Tade Fatukasi, accused those opposed to Olusola’s ambition of crying foul over nothing just to paint the process in bad light. He wondered where all the alleged happenings transpired. According to him, party members at ward and council levels have been electing delegates peacefully all through the week.
“It is unfortunate that some people are determined to cause problem in the PDP before jumping to the parties they really want to use to contest the next governorship election. They are unpopular in the party and they know. Go round the state and ask questions. People will tell you all these allegations are lies meant to give Governor Fayose and Olusola bad names. But they have all failed,” he said.
In one of the reported incidents of violence, a former Chairman of Ikere Local Government, Banji Aluko, was allegedly beaten up by youths suspected to be supporters of Olusola. “He was accused of working against Ikere Agenda, fashioned by Fayose in support of his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola. He is a supporter of Adeyeye,” a party source told The Nation.
Speaking on the incident, Aluko accused Olusola and Hon. Wale Ayeni, a member of the State Assembly, of masterminding the attack. “Our group won election at Ogbonjana ward 7 and we were rejoicing only for these thugs to pounce on me and beat me up. I have reported the case to the police and proper action will be taken against the sponsors,” he said.
Back in the trenches?
Given the current developments, pundits are predicting a return to the trenches by the gladiators in the Ekiti PDP crisis unless something drastic is urgently done by the national leadership of the party again. Already, Adeyeye, one of the aspirants opposed to Fayose’s choice of Olusola, has raised alarm about what he described as a fresh clampdown on his supporters vowing to resist such henceforth.
Adeyeye, former Minister of State for Works, alleged that suspected thugs loyal to Olusola, led by a legislator, had been launching attacks on his supporters. “If truly Prof Olusola is popular at his hometown, why resorting to beating people and forcing them to swear to an oath to support his ambition in Ikere? This is a manifest sign of rejection at home and flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of association of these people.”
Adeyeye identified his supporters who were allegedly attacked on Sunday to include Ikere Local Government Deputy Chairman, Sunday Olorunfemi, Ikere PDP Treasurer, Tunde Ajewole, former Ikere Local Government Chairman, Banji Aluko, and Gbenga Ayeni. He said they were attacked during the ward congress on Saturday. He called on the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the alleged attacks and bring the perpetrators to book.
But the Director-General of Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation (KOCO), Chief Bisi Kolawole, denied the allegation of forcing Adeyeye’s supporters to swear to an oath to switch allegiance to the Deputy Governor. Kolawole alleged that people suspected to be Adeyeye’s supporters attacked Commissioner for Local Government, Mr. Ayo Alabi, with masqueraders in Ise-Ekiti (Adeyeye’s hometown), during the congress.
“The issue of putting some people under oath to support the Deputy Governor is not true. Was the oath done with the Bible or traditional means; we challenge them to tell the world. As politicians, we know those working for Adeyeye in Ikere and I want to say that those suffering such fate are double dealers who collect money from Olusola, Adeyeye and Olujimi. If you are for Adeyeye, why do you go to Olusola’s meeting? You came as a spy, why do you double-deal” he asked?
This was just as Fayose’s half-brother, Olanipekun Oluwayose, on Tuesday defected from the PDP to the Action Democratic Party (ADP). He said he was quitting the PDP due to the alleged failure of his brother during his tenure, adding that the state was now poorer. Oluwayose, who shares the same father with the governor, formally announced his defection in his hometown, Afao-Ekiti, Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government Area.
Oluwayose also described Fayose’s continuity agenda of endorsing his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as “an attempt to prolong the sufferings of Ekiti people and hold them in servitude.” He said his conscience could not be reconciled with “the directionless situation facing the state.” “How can I ignore the pains that unpaid wages have brought on our people?
“If we want a better society, we must not let our relationship allow us to hold us back from standing by what is right. My decision to dump PDP for ADP is borne out of my patriotism for an Ekiti that works for everyone. “Ekiti is in shambles and we must embrace the right ideas that can take us out of the current economic and social doldrums,” he said.