A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has warned that Eyitayo Jegede, who is governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), might lose the 2020 governorship election in Ondo State if the party is still divided in the Southwest and Ondo State ahead of the gubernatorial poll.
He said though Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state is the leader of the party in the Southwest region, he must not misuse his executive powers in such a way that PDP will lose Ondo poll due to his undemocratic nature of foisting party executives and orders on the willing members who are working tirelessly in ensuring that the party and Jegede win the governorship election.
Fayose, who spoke at the PDP Southwest Stakeholders’ meeting and reclamation of Ogun State PDP Party Secretariat from late Buruji Kashamu’s faction by Ladi Adebutu’s faction in Abeokuta on Wednesday, noted that the foisting of former deputy national chairman of the party, Olabode George as the party frontman in the October 10, 2020 would further polarise the party in Ondo state and Southwest, and therefore urgent political steps should be taken to involve people that matter in the electoral process.
While speaking in the presence of Eddy Olafeso, Southwest national vice chairman; Sikirulai Ogundele, Ogun state chairman; Deji Doherty, Lagos state chairman; Bisi Kolawole, Ekiti state chairman; Sunday Akanfe, Osun state acting chairman and Ladi Adebutu, Ogun state PDP financier and chieftain, former Ekiti state governor condemned Governor Makinde’s political style and undue influence in the Southwest and Ondo state, which he said, could cause the party Ondo state governoship seat.
He said, “Part of the problem we are talking about is you want to do election in Ondo, a Fayose is not part of the process, you want to do election where Ekiti and Ondo states are supposed to be one, you want to do election and you want to keep a 75-year old, Chief Bode George, in the saddle when he’s supposed to have retired as a Grandpa and I am saying it expresedly, as long as such continues, they can go ahead by themselves.
“I am not going to talk about the outcome, I am not God, it is my prayer that PDP wins that election, if we fight, our fight must not be that our party should lose, our fight is such that the party must manage its members in a way that we can make more gains.
“Our fight must not be that our party should lose, I supported Jegede when he contested (in 2016) the first time and I am still going to support him now, but the fact is that if you are going to use me to drive you, give you more mileage and you say I am not important, my home is as sweet as anywhere else.”
Meanwhile, the Sikirulai Ogundele’s PDP-led Executive on Wednesday reclaimed the party Secretariat hitherto held by late Buruji Kashamu’s faction of the party in the state as former Governor Fayose declared that Ladi Adebutu’s faction which has Sikirulai Ogundele as chairman “is the authentic and has majority of party followers in the state”, just as he called on all the factional members of the party at the state level to rejoin Ogundele’s PDP Executives.