JULY 30, 2013
Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose
Sixteen governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State have supported the indefinite suspension of a former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose, over his alleged insubordination and anti-party activities.
The position of the aspirants was contained in a communique issued at the end of a meeting held on Sunday and made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Monday.
In a similar development, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, has also said the State Working Committee did the right thing by suspending Fayose. He said their action had the backing of the party’s constitution, stressing that the suspension was still in force.
He also insisted that the party would not rescind its decision on the consensus arrangement to select its governorship candidate.
The aspirants, who supported the former governor’s suspension, included Fayose’s deputy, Mr. Abiodun Aluko; Senator Bode Olowoporoku; Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (retd); Senator Ayo Arise, Mr. Aribisala Adewale, Otunba O. O. Akerele, Prof. Adesegun Ojo, Ambassador Dare Bejide and a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Femi Bamisile.
Others are Dayo Adeyeye, former Speaker, Tunji Odeyemi; Mr. Bodunde Adeyanju, Chief Peter Obafemi, Mr. Ropo Ogunbolude, Bimbo Owolabi and Dr. Kunle Afolayan.
The aspirants described Fayose “as an electoral liability,” stressing that the evidence of this manifested in the fact that the former governor had not won any election since he was removed from office.
However, Fayose, in his reaction to the position of the 16 aspirants, described the move as inconsequential.
He said the aspirants were in support of the consensus deal because they knew they could not win in any free and fair primary election.
He said, “Makanjuola Ogundipe is still talking about my suspension even after Abuja had upturned it and also reprimanded him. I don’t want to join issues with him because his action and utterances, and those of his blind followers, are an affront to the party leadership, which I believe, Abuja is watching.”
The aspirants’ communique read, “We support the decision of Mr. President in using the consensus process of selecting the 2014 governorship candidate of our great state.”
“We condemn the acts of violence by some members of our party and agree with the decision of the State Executive to suspend the perpetrators. We expect the national leadership of our great party to also start the due process of affirming the suspension of Dr. Ayo Fayose.”
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