The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State plunged deeper into factional crisis because reconciliation efforts of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Osun State former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and other Southwest leaders failed to resolve the imbroglio.
The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Prince Diran Odeyemi, who disclosed this, also described both factions as “two parallel lines who had refused to shift grounds to resolve the raging factional crisis.”
Odeyemi, who is also the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee set up by the National Working Committee (NWC) to run the affairs of the troubled Ekiti chapter spoke on BOTTOM LINE, a political discourse programme on New Cruse 92.7 FM, Ikere monitored by DAILY POST.
The immediate past PDP Publicity Secretary in Ekiti, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, who also spoke on the programme, accused former Governor Ayo Fayose of romancing the All Progressives Congress (APC) and working for the interests of its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Adebayo, who is a chieftain of the PDP Repositioning Group, which is loyal to the lawmaker representing Ekiti South in the Senate, Senator Biodun Olujimi, maintained that the congress which produced Mr. Kehinde Odebunmi as Chairman as the authentic one.
But, Odeyemi insisted that NWC recognises Mr Bisi Kolawole, who emerged from the congress supported by Fayose as the valid state party chairman urging the two factions to come together, allow peace to reign and concentrate on providing a vibrant opposition.
Describing Kolawole as an “illegal chairman”, Adebayo said the Ekiti PDP will not be allowed to be run like a private property saying the Odebunmi-led exco had resolved not to use the building allegedly belonging to Fayose as party secretariat alleging that the ex-governor had sold the new secretariat.
The two factions organised parallel state congresses on Saturday at two different locations in Ado Ekiti producing parallel state executive committees. They had earlier organised parallel ward and local government congresses.
Odeyemi said: “The two sides are parallel lines and they have remained adamant. Former Governor Oyinlola, Governor Seyi Makinde and other PDP leaders in neighbouring states have come to intervene but all to no avail.
“Let party members forgive themselves, it’s about give and take. Fayose is not a saint and Olujimi is not a devil. We will continue to manage ourselves, we will continue to talk to ourselves to resolve this crisis.
“As it is now, the party recognises Bisi Kolawole as Chairman and it behooves on him to go to the aggrieved persons one after the other and beg them to return for a solid party in Ekiti.”
Adebayo said: “The Repositioning Group constitutes 85 per cent in the party and the congress, which produced Hon Odebunmi is the valid one and he is the authentic chairman.
“Fayose is romancing APC, Fayose is romancing Tinubu. We don’t want a leader who will be romancing APC in Lagos and come back to Ekiti and claiming to belong to PDP, we won’t accept that.
“Many who left the party because of Fayose would have returned if not for Fayose’s shenanigans. The party belongs to the people and not a personal property of anybody.
“That is why our chairman (Odebunmi) said we cannot use the property belonging to Fayose because our new secretariat has been sold by the former governor because he wanted to exchange that with this building to cover-up which the party will not allow.”
