Atiku Campaign: More trouble for PDP in Ekiti, as Fayose, Olujimi lead separate campaign councils

Signs of more trouble for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State manifested Tuesday as two campaign separate campaign councils were inaugurated for Atiku/Obi presidential campaign.

While the former governor of Ekiti State and the South West Coordinator of the Atiku campaign, Ayo Fayose, inaugurated one, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Biodun Olujimi, inaugurated a parallel one.

The senator had threatened on Monday that she would take actions that would reflect the wishes of the majority of members of the party in the state after she petitioned the national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, accusing Mr Fayose of hijacking the campaign council.

Her grouse was that Mr Fayose appointed his “cronies” and dropped those earlier agreed would be part of the council at a stakeholders meeting.

Ms Olujimi inaugurated a campaign council with Yinka Akerele as its director general, while Mr Fayose inaugurated the one with Dipo Anisulowo as Director General.

Both councils however have the PDP governorship candidate in the last election, Kolapo Olusola, as chairman of the council.

Speaking at the inauguration of the council, held at a venue in Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti, Ms Olujimi said her action was in line with an earlier nomination made by the national leadership on the campaign council for the state.

She said the committee members were picked from all the 16 local governments by party leaders and that they had even commenced work, had written letters and signed memos and had set January 3 as the date for the inauguration of the campaign council.

“All of a sudden, we understand that Governor Fayose came and told the party executive that he was not pleased with the council and that he needed to be the one to do the composition. He now changed everybody and put his former chief-of-staff and others and replaced them with his people,” she said.

“All these happened without anyone among us being consulted and we find this unpalatable, unacceptable and of course this is bordering on impunity.”

While inaugurating his own faction of the council, Mr Fayose described the other group as a “nullity.”

The former governor described members of the party who were not at his inauguration, as “traitors” and “betrayers,” warning that he could ask his people not to vote for them.

He said members of the campaign council were carefully selected ”to represent all shades of opinions in the state chapter of the PDP,” wondering why there were still complaints from some of the party members and leaders.

Mr Fayose however predicted that the electorate in the northern part of the country would disappoint President Muhammadu Buhari in the coming presidential election.

He said the economic hardship in the country and the overall poor performance of the Buhari-led government were indicators to what would happen at the February 16 polls.