Ekiti PDP NASS candidates, ex-guber candidates, others reject Atiku’s Campaign C’ittee membership

Crisis facing the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) deepened, on Sunday, as National Assembly candidates of the Party, the party’s Governorship candidate in the last election in Ekiti State, and others have rejected the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee for the party in the state.

List of the campaign council and campaign management committee members was released, on Sunday. It was signed by the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, Governor Aminu Bello Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

The NASS candidates: Alhaji Lateef Ajijola, Central Senatorial Candidate, Funso Ayeni, North Senatorial Candidate, Otunba Oluyinka Akerele.

House of Reps Candidate for Ekiti North 1, Lere Olayinka, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti Central 2.

Others were Hon. (Mrs.) Emiola Adenike Jennifer, House of Reps Candidate for Ekiti South 2, Joju Fayose, House of Reps Candidate for Ekiti Central and Otunba Babatunde Ajayi

House of Reps Candidate for Ekiti North 2.

READ ALSO: http://Ogun Budget Ministry engages LG stakeholders for HCDP success

In a letter addressed to Governor Tambuwal, the NASS candidates said majority of the nominees were not members of the PDP. They are SDP members. Furthermore, majority of the rest who are PDP members did not win their polling units in the last governorship election.

The letter read, “Out attention has been drawn to Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee for Ekiti State, as released by your good self, being circulated on various social media platforms.

“Particularly, the persons appointed as Directors of Campaign for the Central and North Senatorial Districts are members of Social Democratic Party (SDP).

“The SDP is fielding Senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly candidates in the above-mentioned Senatorial Districts.

“In the list, the majority of the nominees are not members of the PDP. They are SDP members. Furthermore, majority of the  rest who are PDP members did not win their polling units in the last governorship election.

“Our elections will be held alongside that of the president.

“The implication is that members of SDP will work against us as our Senatorial Directors of Campaign for our elections.

“To us, the campaign council/committee is not a gift item to impress anybody if the objective is actually to win the elections.

READ ALSO: http://Rivers 2023: Electorate now surer of a responsible APC-led state – Party chieftain

“To this end, as stakeholders /candidates whose elections will hold alongside the presidential election, we the underlisted candidates reject the composition of the Campaign Management Committee in its entirety, and demand the implementation of the earlier list submitted by the party.”

Also in his owr letter, the candidate of the Party in the last governorship election, Otunba Bisi Kolawole, said he would remain committed to the Party.

Otunba Kolawole’s words, “Even though I have not been officially consulted by anyone, I wish to raise the following concerns as per membership of the Campaign Council and Management Committee, should the list being circulated on Social Media be authentic.

“As you already know, I am a committed and loyal member of the PDP, and so I will remain.

“However, in spite that I regard this appointment as an honour, I wish to state that I will not be able function in the midst of people who openly and gladly worked against my election.

“As it was done in other States, I was given a template and instructed to come up with list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee.

“In arriving at the list, I followed the template and consulted relevant stakeholders, most importantly National Assembly candidates whose elections are on the same date as that of the president.

“Also, in the meeting with the Vice Presidential Candidate of our party, His Excellency, (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, it was agreed that the list was okay and that it should only be moderated by including about three or five names.

“By ignoring that list and including people who are still in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), it is a clear indication that the Presidential Campaign Organisation does not respect its own decisions.

“Also, the SDP members included in the Campaign Management Committee are people who left PDP before the governorship election, and have not returned to the Party.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: http://2023, Gov. Sanwo-Olu, wife call for active participation in election, preach love, harmony at Christmas

“With their inclusion in the Campaign Committee, how will they function when their party, the SDP, is also fielding candidates for National Assembly and the National Assembly elections will hold

same day as that of the President?

“Will they be campaigning for the presidential candidate of our party and at the same time be campaigning for the Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates of the SDP?

“While I am not against the party and its presidential candidate having a working arrangements with members of other parties, including the SDP, I am however of the belief that such arrangements should not amount to rewarding people who decamped to other parties to work against the PDP with membership of the party’s campaign committee.

“By doing this, we are only saying that it pays to leave PDP and work for other parties.  This to me, will be a sad commentary on party loyalty and discipline.

“In view of the above, I wish to notify you that I will not be able to function as Chairman of the Campaign Council.

“This will, however, not affect my commitment as member and a leader of the PDP in Ekiti State.”