PDP: Fayose in big trouble as Olujimi, Aluko others move against his exco, seek dissolution

Some aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State on Saturday affirmed the Senate Minority Leader, Chief Abiodun Olujinmi, as the leader of the party in the state.

Governor Ayodele Fayose had been the leader of the party in the state.

The members who met under the PDP Stakeholders Forum in Ado Ekiti also asked the National Executive Committee to dissolve the Gboyega Oguntuase-led State Working Committee, which is loyal to former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Among those at the meeting were Olujimi, a former Deputy Governor, Dr. Sikiru Tae-Lawal; a former Speaker and Acting Governor, Tunji Odeyemi; incumbent Deputy Speaker, Segun Adewumi; a former chairman, Bola Oluojo; a former PDP Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko and a former governorship aspirant, Yinka Akerele.

Our correspondent observed that the PDP’s secretariat on Ajilosun Road, Ado Ekiti, remained shut on Saturday with armed policemen stationed on guard.

Aluko had invaded the place on Thursday with some other aggrieved members to accuse the state executive members of making suspicious withdrawals from the party’s account.

But the police quickly moved in to secure the place and were still on the ground on Saturday.

A communique read after the meeting by the Protem Secretary of the stakeholders’ forum and former member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Bunmi Olugbade, said Olujimi as the highest ranking officer in PDP from Ekiti State was adopted as the party leader.

It also called on the party leadership to constitute an independent committee to look into affairs of the party.

The forum while commending Aluko in discovering and detecting the illegal and suspicious withdrawals by the SWC urged Olujimi to liaise with the National Executive Committee of the PDP to freeze the state account of the party.

The communiqué overruled the SWC on the suspension of Aluko, saying he remained a bonafide member of the party.

It read in part, “We are poised to reposition and return the PDP back to the people and therefore call on the party leadership to constitute an independent committee to look into the affairs of the party in Ekiti state with a view to repositioning the party for the 2019 elections.

“That there is an urgent need for reconciliation and the panacea for true reconciliation is the immediate dissolution of the present state working committee of the PDP and a constitution of caretaker committee.

“That Senator Olujimi should constitute Advisory committee in all the 16 local governments to midwife reconciliation and also Finance to strategise and mobilise funds for the party.

“That we appeal to our members who are aggrieved or sitting on the fence to come back to the party. Again, we stand by our party national exco, our presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the various candidates in Ekiti State and promise to vote for them substantially”, it added. Punch