Members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti South federal constituency protested at the weekend against purported plans by the state’s former governor, Ayo Fayose, to impose the party’s House of Representatives candidate on the constituency ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The members claimed that the former governor had finalized arrangements to impose former House of Representatives member Segun Adekola on the federal constituency, jeopardizing Ikere, Ise/Orun, and Ekiti South-West local government areas.
Ayo Fayose backed Adekola’s ambition in Ise/Orun
Kola Adewole, the spokesman for the protesting party members, highlighted that the former governor backed Adekola’s ambition on Saturday in Ise/Orun.
He noted that, while they respect the ex-freedom governors to support candidates, his decisions over time have further harmed rather than strengthened the party’s chances at the polls.
They stated that they would rather have a legitimate delegate election between Adekola and Henrich Akomolafe of Ikere-Ekiti to choose the party’s nominee.
“For example, when former governor Ayodele Fayose went to assist Bisi Kolawole, Kolawole won the ‘primaries by cheating, and you can see how we are losing followers on a daily basis,” he stated.
“Now, we say we want young, new blood with credibility and a track record in Akomolafe, but our leader (Fayose) has chosen a political lightweight who lost massively as a sitting member in 2019. We would not accept it.”
However, Ayo Fayose, who refuted the accusation of imposition, stated that it is within his right to have a preference among the contenders and that the decision did not exclude others from pursuing their ambitions ahead of the primaries.
When contacted, Akomolafe stated, “he remained ‘unfazed,’ but urged ex-governor Fayose, whom he referred to as his father, against working against the will of the people and further jeopardizing the party’s chances for monetary reasons.”
