Runner-up in the just-concluded governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni, has accused the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and former Governor Ayodele Fayose of sell out.
Engr. Oni alleged that Ayu and Fayose had sold out the party’s candidacy to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by foisting a ‘political weakling’ as party’s candidate primarily to make the forthcoming June 18 governorship poll easy ride for APC.
In a statement by the Director General of his campaign organisation, Hon. Yemi Arokodare, on Sunday, Oni noted the outcome of the party’s primaries in the State was orchestrated by Fayose to sell the party to the ruling APC.
He noted that the emergence of Fayose’s protege, Otunba Bisi Kolawole, was part of surreptitious plans to thwart the bid of the majority of PDP members in Ekiti to form the next government.
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Oni said that it is an open secret in Ekiti political circle that the PDP governorship ticket was handed over to Kolawole is a duplicate copy of the APC ticket, adding “Ekiti is already a giveaway to the APC”.
“It is a big shame that the National Working Committee of the PDP could not see through this deception but deliberately connived with Fayose to force Gov Udom Emmanuel on the Ekiti process to achieve a predetermined hatchet job.
“The National Chairman of the PDP, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu should explain to party members nationwide the import of Section 45 (a) Part VI under the General Provisions of the Electoral Guidelines for Primary after the ad-hoc election was nullified”.
Section 45 a, according to Oni stated that; “Any officer or member of the party who fails, refuses or neglects to carry out his duties about these guidelines on the general conduct of the primary elections or who obstructs, defies, or in any manner hinders, impedes or subverts the implementation or success of these guidelines is guilty of gross misconduct and shall be brought before the National Disciplinary Committee of the Party for disciplinary action.”
Oni challenged Ayu to explain why he allowed Governor Udom Emmanuel to come for the second exercise in Ekiti after modifying the process of ad-hoc delegates election that was nullified.
“Chairman Ayu must tell the world why he cannot trust any other PDP Governor except Governor Udom Emmanuel to conduct the two exercises in Ekiti State when it is evident that Fayose had conducted Gov Udom’s 2019 Primaries.
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“It is now crystal clear that the plot ab initio was for the two buddies of Fayose from Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Enoidem (former Legal Adviser of the PDP) and Gov Udom Emmanuel, to conduct the two exercises in favour of Fayose and the NWC fell for it.
“Chairman Ayu deliberately indulged Fayose who attempted to truncate the national convention that produce the current NWC and never asked him how he intended to win Ekiti for the PDP with the weakest of the aspirants, even when he could not do so as a sitting governor with his deputy in 2018,” he alleged.
Oni lamented it is shameful that the PDP Appeal Panel hurriedly sat to ratify a fraudulent election without looking into the merit of the petition written by one of the aspirants, Mrs. Deborah Alo.
“It is worrisome that Chairman Ayu is interested in threatening party members with suspension and expulsion, but he is hardly interested in how the party will win in Ekiti”, he said.
But Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, who dismissed the allegations, said: “PDP has produced a governorship candidate in the person of Bisi Kolawole. Those who had issues with the conduct of the primary had made presentations to the appeal panel. The panel has affirmed the result of the primary election.
“If anybody is saying another thing, he is on his own. The level now is that we wish and feel that everybody in the PDP including Engr Segun Oni will work together to ensure the victory of our candidate.
“Hon. Kolawole went to Engr Oni’s house at Ifaki Ekiti on Thursday and was told that he was not at home. Our candidate has visited other aspirants, we are talking to our people so that all of us can come together and win this election for PDP and for the people of Ekiti State.
“But anybody saying any other thing outside that is on his own. We know those who have remained in PDP and those who have moved in and out of PDP. We know those who were among the people who rigged PDP out in 2018.”