Aide disrupts meeting, lambasts elders for holding meeting without Fayose

An aide of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, weekend disrupted a meeting called by elders of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, in the state for not getting clearance from the governor.

The meeting was reportedly called by the PDP elders to wade into the crisis rocking the party in the state. It was hosted by the Chairman of Ekiti PDP Elders’ Committee, Senator Clement Awoyelu, at his residence in Ekute area of Ado Ekiti.

According to reports, the elders, including former Deputy Governor, Chief Paul Alabi, former Acting Governor/Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olatunji Odeyemi, former spokesman of Ekiti Council of Elders, Chief Idowu Odeyemi, former Chairman, Emure Local Government, Mrs. Titi Oguntuase and Dr. Jimi Oke, called the meeting to stem the gale of defections of aggrieved party members complaining about the leadership style of Fayose.

The meeting also had 12 serving local government chairmen, members of the state PDP caretaker committee, 14 chairmen of local government chapters of the party, among others in attendance.

Read also: Why DSS is after Fayose

However, the Special Adviser to Fayose on Political Matters, Ademola Bello, allegedly stormed the venue of the meeting with people suspected to be political thugs and queried Awoyelu’s authority to hold the meeting without the governor’s clearance.

According to Bello, Fayose remains the leader of the party in the state and no meeting must be held without him authorizing it.

Awoyelu, a pioneer state PDP chairman, a former National Working Committee member, a member of the 5th Senate (2003-2007), a Board of Trustees member and Chairman of the party’s state Elders’ Forum, was said to have informed Bello that he called the meeting in capacity as the chairman of the elders forum.

Reports have it that all council chairmen and party state caretaker executive members fled the meeting over fears of being attacked by the suspected thugs that accompanied the governor’s aide.

A source at the meeting said Awoyelu felt embarrassed by Bello’s effrontery to disrupt elders’ meeting allegedly acting on Fayose’s authority.

According to the source, Awoyelu said: “I am the pioneer PDP state Chairman, former NWC member, former Senator and former Senate Deputy Chief Whip, which qualifies me to be in the national caucus and an eight-year BOT member.

“The meeting was summoned in my capacity as the Elders’ Committee Chairman and also Chairman of Elders’ Forum.”

Bello was however said to have been unimpressed by Awoyelu’s explanation, when he said: “Henceforth, no meeting should hold in Ekiti without the clearance from Mr. Governor. Which meeting are you holding here? Council chairmen who came here would be sanctioned and (party) caretaker committee present will be sanctioned as well.”

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