Thirteen
aggrieved governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party in
Ekiti State have said that the party should forget about winning the
state if the leadership of the party ratifies former Governor, Ayo
Fayose, as its candidate in the governorship election of June 21.
Senator Gbenga Aluko, who spoke through
the Director-General of his campaign organisation, Mr. Tunji Olatunde,
said this in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday.
Another aggrieved aspirant, Prince Dayo
Adeyeye, also said the same thing in a statement made available to our
correspondent in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
The 13 aggrieved aspirants had dragged
the party to court over Fayose and boycotted the primary election,
which Fayose eventually won.
The DG of the Aluko Campaign
Organisation ruled out the possibility of his principal defecting to
another political party. He also said that Aluko had held discussion
with the other 12 aggrieved aspirants and they all agreed that they
would not move away from the PDP.
Olatunde said, “The PDP cannot win Ekiti State with Fayose and I am sure they know it.
“Some party members even called Aluko to
find out if the PDP is serious about winning back the states in the
South-West. But we are appealing to them to be calm.
“We are calling on the President to
intervene. We know that President Goodluck Jonathan is not around but he
needs to act fast. The so-called primary was a fraud. But we are not
going to any party because we are stakeholders in the PDP. Senator Aluko
has also talked with other aspirants and they all said that they would
not defect.”
Adeyeye, in the statement, described the
primary poll as a fraud, which could not stand. He called on Jonathan to
intervene in the crisis now.
He said that Fayose had connived with the
delegates from Abuja to perpetrate electoral fraud. He said the PDP
could not win the election proper with a candidate like Fayose.
According to him, many critical stakeholders in the PDP shunned the primary because they knew it was a fraud.
Adeyeye said, “It should be clear to
discerning minds that what happened in Ekiti State on Saturday was a
charade and it cannot stand. It will only be allowed to stand if the
intention of our party leaders in Abuja is not for the PDP to win the
June 21, 2014 election.
“Giving the enthusiasm of the PDP members
in the Ekiti State for the upcoming election, discerning minds should
be worried by the number of delegates that participated in the primary,
which was slightly above 50 per cent.
“It will be unthinkable for a party like
the PDP, which is being looked up to by the entire people of Ekiti, to
believe that the June 21 election can be won with a candidate, who
emerged through a so-called primary election that was shunned by major
stakeholders of the party. In short, the last Saturday charade was
rejected by 75 per cent of the party office holders in Ekiti State.
“Since that Saturday charade, the morale
of the Ekiti people, who had hoped that the PDP would rescue them from
the misrule of the present government in the state, has waned. The
people are dejected, they are openly expressing their disappointments in
our party, and unless something is done urgently, it is unlikely that
the Ekiti people will forgive us for dashing their hopes.
“Therefore, if June 21 is not going to be
just about sharing election funds and producing just a candidate that
will not be elected as governor, our leaders in Abuja, especially the
national leader, President Goodluck Jonathan should intervene now.”
PUNCHNG
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