Ekiti PDP is currently marred by crisis
Barely a year after the controversial victory of Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose at the poll, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in deep crisis. The war of attrition, according to observers, may weaken the platform, if reconciliation fails.
However, another source said that Fayose deliberately reneged on his promise because Aluko’s popularity was soaring and the governor feared that he would be a competitor for political relevance.
The two factions in Ekiti PDP are led by Idowu Faleye and Tunde Olatunde. The position of the chairman became vacant, following the election of the former Chairman, Makanjuola Ogundipe, as a member of the Southwest PDP Zonal Executive Committee. Faleye, a protégé of the governor, has been operating from the Government House and abandoned the party secretariat for the Olatunde faction. Irked by Faleye’s recognition by Fayose, Olatunde at a news conference in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, alleged that Faleye’s name is not on the party register. But, Faleye fired back, saying that he is the authentic chairman. Olatunde enjoys the support of the party secretary, Aluko, and the auditor, Olanrewaju.
Olatunde said: “I want to say emphatically that Faleye is only parading himself illegally as the State Chairman. He is a labour unionist and not recognised as the leader of our party. He is a chairman in the Government House .
“Faleye is not a registered member of our party. The constitution stipulated certain conditions that you must meet before you can be a State Chairman of our party.
“He is from Ido/Osi Ward I that has produced the Youth leader. So, it is unconstitutional for a ward to produce two exco members and for a non-registered person to be elected an officer of a ward, let alone a whole state.”
Faleye has refuted Olatunde’s claim, saying he had been performing his official functions as the chairman, including leading state caucuses to meetings at the national level.
He said: “We don’t need to join issues with them. They were not recognised at the last meeting held at the national secretariat.
The Olatunde faction has appointed Dapo Adebisi as the new Deputy Chairman. He replaced the former Deputy Chairman, Hon. FemiBamisile, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), shortly before last year’s governorship election.
The State Working Committee (SWC) also removed an ally of Fayose, Jackson Adebayo, as the Publicity Secretary.
Adebayo was named by Faleye to replace Kola Oluwawole, who resigned to contest for a seat in the House of Assembly. Oluwawole won the Assembly poll and he was subsequently elected Speaker.
The new Publicity Secretary is Michael Oladipo, who is from Erinmope Ward 1, Moba Local Government Area.
Speaking shortly after the SWC meeting where the decisions were arrived at, Olatunde said the new appointees were recommended from their wards to fill the vacancies.
Olatunde explained that Adebayo’s purported appointment by the faction loyal to the governor was “irregular and a flagrant violation of the PDP constitution.”
Speaking on the validity of the action, Olatunde said the action was backed by Section 24(5) of the PDP constitution which states that a quorum for SWC shall be one-third of members drawn from the three senatorial districts and a simple majority shall pass any motion.
When asked whether Fayose supported the appointment of the new appointees to party positions, Olatunde said that Section 47(6) of the PDP Constitution empowers the state executive to appoint new officers.
The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the Party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from, pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy”.
Olatunde added: “There is a difference between the government and the party. The party produces the gubernatorial candidate and the highest organ in the party is SEC.
“The governor is a (SEC) member while the state party chairman presides and from that simple illustration, that is the responsibility of the party. While the governor faces governance, the SWC runs the party.”
When the crisis escalated, the party found was ejected from its secretariat at Ureje area, along Ikere Road. The owner of the building is the former party chairman, Chief Ropo Adesanya, who has defected to the APC. He is being owed N1.5 million, which is one year rent. The former chairman alleged that a dude cheque was issued to him by the PDP.
The Ekiti PDP Elders’ Forum, led Senator Clement Awoyelu, has intervened in the crisis. But, the crisis assumed a new dimension when the forum threw its weight behind Faleye. Apart from passing a vote of confidence on Faleye, the elders accused the APC of fanning the embers of disunity in the ruling party. the factional crisis rocking their party.
Awoyelu said: “We viewed Tunde Olatunde’s and Tope Aluko’s, actions and their group as an affront to the party’s authority; very treacherous and barbaric, suggesting that they are being financed by the APC and other external forces purposely to destabilize our party”.
He added: “On the issue of cheque that was not honoured, that cheque was forged because the signature on the cheque was not the signature of the chairman.
“This was a calculated attempt to embarrass the party because he (Adesanya) has left the party for the opposition (APC)”.
On why Faleye has not been operating from the party secretariat, Awoyelu said that he (Faleye) comes there regularly. “But, in certain situations, one needs to be security-conscious,” he added.
On the position of the Olatunde faction that Faleye and the State Youth Leader are from the same ward, which is contrary to the party constitution, Awoyelu said the SWC does not have the final say on the issue, adding that the power is vested in the State Executive Committee (SEC).
He explained that party elders have intervened by holding peace meetings with the two factions. He alleged that the Olatunde faction is not interested in the resolution of the crisis.
He said: “Faleye remains the authentic chairman of the party and enjoys the backing of majority of members in all wards, council areas and senatorial districts.
The Chairman of the Forum of 16 PDP Chairmen in the LGAs, Kola Lawal, said the body is in support of Faleye, maintaining that there was no place where a meeting was held to remove him (Faleye) from office.
Last week, the Faleye faction, backed by heavy police security, stormed the party secretariat to pronounce the suspension of four SWC members in the Olatunde faction.
The Secretary, Aluko, claimed that he was shot at close range as he led members of the Olatunde faction to take over the secretariat, shortly after the Faleye faction announced the suspension of four members of the State Working Committee (SWC) led by Olatunde.
There was tension earlier in the day as policemen were mobilised to the party secretariat in 10 vehicles and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).
They prepared ground for the arrival of the Faleye faction. The faction announced the suspension of Olatunde, Aluko, Mrs. Busola Oyebode, the State Women Leader; Tunji Olanrewaju, the State Auditor, and Femi Esan, Assistant Secretary.
They are to be ‘tried’ by the Faleye faction for alleged anti-party activities by a disciplinary panel to be chaired by Commissioner for Local Government Kolapo Kolade. Other members of the panel are Babade Ige, Animasaun Bamidele, Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi, Smart Adebusuyi, Dele Ajibola and Kola Lawal
But, the Olatunde faction later came to take over the secretariat about two hours after the Faleye faction had left.
The riot policemen were later mobilized to the party secretariat at about 3.40 pm and there was shooting with the PDP scribe reportedly hit by gunshots.
Aluko said: “I was shot at close range by policemen. As I was parking, they opened fire on me at about 3.40 pm.
“I went there and the policemen were waiting for me and what followed was shooting.
“My cloth was drenched in blood and I am receiving treatment as you speak with me. I went to the party secretariat because that is my office as the PDP secretary in the state.
“I have taken care of myself, no shaking. I want you to tell Fayose that the war has started and Fayose cannot intimidate us.
“We will never leave the party for Fayose or any other person. Tell him that the war has started and we are battle-ready and the people of the state will know the real members of the party”.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, said that he was not aware of any shooting. He said: “Our men were their until they (PDP Chieftains) left and we are not aware of any other meeting held after they had left.
“The DPO also told me that nobody had come to the station to complain that he was shot or any shooting incident took place”.
The resolution of the faction loyal to Fayose to take disciplinary action against the five was read by its spokesman, Adebayo.
But, Aluko described the action as a breach of the party’s constitution, saying that it was null and void.
Aluko explained that the State SWC was constituted by 14 members, wondering where Idowu Faleye-led faction had got the quorum to suspend them.
“Nobody can push me out of PDP. I have invested and sweated so much to build the party. But if the party is heading to implosion , then I will take my destiny in my own hands, because nobody has right to my happiness more than myself.
“PDP is being run in line with the constitution of the party. If this is the case, it came to me as a shock that the party could come up with this action through Jackson Adebayo and Idowu Faleye, who have been suspended by the authentic PDP leaders.
“Though, we owe it a duty to respect the NWC, but for suspended Chairman to do that was a deliberate attempt to destroy the party, is rather frightening, embarrassing and also disturbing”, Aluko stated.
He maintained that up till now, Faleye has not been properly registered as a PDP member in his ward, having defected from Labour Party (LP) where he ran for the House of Represetatives seat for Ekiti North Federal Constituency 2 in the 2011 general elections.
Aluko added : “How can eleven members be suspended in the SWC? Only the State Executive Committee, acting on the directive of the NWC, can do that. If anybody think the best way to save the party is by illegal suspension, I won’t be part of that game.
“Since we assumed office, we have worked hard to win so many elections. We were the one that put Governor Ayodele Fayose on that seat. I was the State Agent in the last governorship poll .
“I can still not recollect where the meeting was held to ratify our suspension. It was just a decision of Faleye and his faction”.
Aluko contended that the Publicity Secretary of the party , Mr Olisa Metuh, could not have issued the statement that purportedly suspended them because he has scheduled a peace meeting for next this week.
Party members are wondering why a party, which won the last year’s poll, could be so enmeshed in a protracted crisis, barely a year after.
To observers, history is merely repeating itself in the Ekiti PDP. During Fayose’s first term,the PDP also suffered from factional crisis. A faction known as “Egbe Majeobaje” or “Authentic PDP” broke away due to irreconcilable differences with Fayose.
The party did not recover from the crisis, until the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clampdown and the wind of impeachment blew the administration away.
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