The immediate past National Vice/South West Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Eddy Olafeso and the factional State Chairmen are reportedly making plans to dump the camp of the Former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose over insincerity.
Fayose, who is currently battling with several cases of fraud at the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), have gotten a court order to travel out of the country on a medical ground. The court further said that his passport should be released to him, but from Fayose’s recent media appearances, he has not shown that he needs to travel abroad, except if he is trying to run away to evade justice.
According to an Insider, Olafeso complained that Mr. Fayose who they thought was making in road for them politically, happened to be deceiving them with just his noise and braggado in the media, with no concrete plan on how they will take over the party. He lamented bitterly that he is tired of the parallel meetings being spearhead by Fayose, which usually happens after the main structure held their own.
Olafeso and some other factional State Chairmen, was said to be making plans to join the main structure, to contest during the Zonal and State congresses, rather than staying with Fayose whose intention is to use and later dump them, which they fear will set them against the party and their followers.
Although, a source close to Fayose political family said he may be planning a counter or parallel congress, or shop for a quick court order to stop the authentic structure of the party, however, all of that seems to be effort in futility because, he has no mandate to lead the party legally and officially, moreover, those he is banking on as footsoldiers are defecting from his camp to the main and legally recognized organ of the party in South West.
Fayose, had in the past held several parallel meetings with the factional Chairmen of Lagos, Mr Deji Doherty, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti Bisi Kolawole, but they are reportedly making a U-Turn so that they won’t lose out completely with the authentic structure of the party being led by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
One of the chairmen in the camp of Fayose, after their meeting on Tuesday who wants to remain anonymous said, I am now at crescendo, utterly lost and tired of Fayose’s empty propaganda which will not take us anywhere, I have spoken to my colleagues, we will rather disembark from this killer vehicle and board on a peace transit, he was quoted as saying.
Those close to the main Structure said that Governor Seyi Makinde is aggressively mobilizing more members into the PDP and also making robust plans to move the party forward ahead of the 2023 election, thereby calling on all the erring members to return to the main fold.
As part of his plans to settle internal crisis, a peace and reconciliation committee headed by the former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was set up, and has been going from one State to the other, ensuring that members are united, while those with genuine concern are attended to.
Ahead of the congress, zonal leaders of the part met on Tuesday in Ibadan to discuss the way forward for the party and the upcoming congress. The meeting was well attended by the la creme of the party from Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo State.
Report from the meeting said that there are some concensus reached over the position of the South West Chairman, which was unanimously agreed by the Stakeholders.
Fayose is facing a serious revolt from his home State over his plan to foist the factional State Chairman, Bisi Kolawole on PDP as the governorship candidate ahead of the 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State. His former Deputy Governor, Prof. Eleka has raised an army of supporters that are battle ready to face Fayose.
The former governor is also in a running battle with the only PDP Senator in the State, Biodun Olujimi, over the control of the party structure in Ekiti State.
There was an allegation against Fayose that he is working to frustrate the efforts of the PDP in South West because of his support for the Presidential ambition of APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu.
There have been several attempts by both the reconciliation committee headed by Oyinlola and River state Governor, Wike to bring Fayose to the main structure, but he continues to create more bottle necks for them, which some members says it corroborate the rumor that he is working for the APC to distabilize PDP in South West.
