Ekiti PDP faction backs Makinde against Fayose as South-West leadership crisis festers

The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State loyal to Senator Biodun Olujimi has backed Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the leader of the party in the South-West geopolitical zone.

The party also in a statement on Tuesday, dissociated itself from the statement credited to the faction loyal to former Governor Ayodele Fayose, attacking Governor Makinde.

In the statement issued by the factional Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Adesua in Ado Ekiti, the party said the undisputable leader of the party in the South West was the Oyo State Governor, in accordance with the PDPs rules and conventions.

It also called of former Governor Fayose “to support Makinde’s leadership and allow peace to reign in the zone, instead of leading another group to oppose him.

“This is not to say that former governor Ayo Fayose can be wished away in the scheme of things as one of the party leaders in the zone, but he should understand that he does not own the party and as such, should respect the existing political organogram/arrangements which he once benefitted from, as the only elected PDP governor in the zone between 2014 and 2018.”

Read also: Mess with Ekiti PDP structure and I’ll face you squarely, Fayose warns Makinde

According to Adesua, the party, which had only one sitting governor out of the six states in the South-West, could no longer afford destabilisation ochestrated by individuals who assumed ownership of the party.

According to him, the Olujimi group preferred leaders and members working collectively to forestall any distraction from focus of winning elections for the party and providing quality leadership for the people of the Ekiti State.

It will be recalled that the South-West chapter of the PDP have been crisis over who is the leader of the party in the zone between Makinde and Fayose.

While some state chapters of the party in the zone, including a faction in Ekiti, the Ondo and Osun chapters are backing Fayose, prominent elements in the party in the zone, including former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, are solidly behind Makinde.

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