Ekiti 2018: Is Fayose leading Ekiti PDP to Golghota?

As the succession battle for the exalted seat in Ekiti State draws closer, Ekiti political firmament seems choked with the intra-party face-off which has pitched political gladiators in the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) in the State against Governor Ayo Fayose, ahead of the July 14 gubernatorial election. KEHINDE OSASONA writes.
Except the incumbent governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has a change of mind, the internal wrangling between incumbent governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose and former Minister of State, Works, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye over his quest to govern the state has generated intense crisis that could consume the party in the state.
The latest wrangling was triggered by Governor Fayose’s seemingly imposition of Deputy without due consultation and consent of key party stakeholders who see the endorsement behind their backs as an affront on them. The resulting bitterness has festered badly and now it appears to be waxing stronger and in fact on the verge of consuming all the actors involved politically.
By announcing his erstwhile deputy Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka as his successor even before the primaries election, some key party leaders say Fayose have incurred the wrath of party faithful in the state. Consequently, the ‘Oshokomole’ as he is fondly called by his admirers may have ran into troubled waters something that may likely inflict no little injury on the PDP.

Fayose vs Adeyeye: who blinks first?
Findings by Blueprint revealed that it took the intervention of former President Goodluck Jonathan and other party bigwigs before Prince Adeyeye could step down for Governor Fayose in the build-up to PDP primaries in 2014. We were further hinted that there was an unwritten agreement between the duo that after the expiration of Fayose’s one term, Adeyeye would be allowed to take a shot. The latter was then compensated with a Ministerial position by the Jonathan’s administration.
Now that Fayose has reneged on that gentlemen agreement by throwing his weight behind his deputy, coupled with his public outbursts on his capability to dwarf all and go it all alone, the question on the lips of stakeholders’ in the State is; Can Fayose deliver again?
A legislative aide from Ekiti State, who craved anonymity, told this medium that Fayose was only playing politics with the rotation agreement. He said: “Although there has been an arrangement within the PDP that it was the turn of Ekiti South senatorial zone to produce the state governor after the incumbent’s term. The fact that the governor is now romancing Bisi Omoyeni, Biodun Aluko and Professor Kolapo Olusola (All deputy governors) came from the same Senatorial district with Adeyeye was an attempt to spite Adeyeye and Senator Biodun Olujimi (current Senator representing Ekiti South),and former deputy governor of the State, who are not on his side and pitch them against his men in the same zone.”
He stated further that; “ the fact that voting strength of Ikere Ekiti which is the largest after Ado-Ekiti the state capital will also count made Fayose announced their son, Olusola the current deputy governor as his successor to the detriment of other fleet of aspirants from the zone,”
Governor Fayose from Afao in Ekiti Central, former governors Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi who both hailed from Ifaki and Isan Ekiti respectively had once governed the State under the Northern Senatorial district ticket.
Already, Adeyeye has intensified awareness and house to house nocturnal meetings ahead of the election. As bumpy as the road to Government House might seem, analysts are of the view that Adeyeye’s rally that was held in Ado-Ekiti recently was not only to break jinx, but to equally garner the support of aggrieved party men as a way of freeing the state from the grip and highhandedness of Governor Fayose.
The embattled Adeyeye, a grassroots mobilize whose network and followership cuts across the 16 local governments area in the state has reportedly wooed two serving Senators; Mrs Raji Rasaki from Ekiti Central (Fayose’s constituency) and Mrs Biodun Olujimi from Ekiti Central ahead of the battle leaving only Senator Duro Faseyi from Ekiti North out of his calculation over his alleged closeness to Fayose.
Consequently, the opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Party (APC) which is still lurking around to reclaim power is said to be making subtle moves to re-unite in a bid to snatch power from Fayose’s PDP.
Thus, the trio of Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele, Chief Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi all strong contenders from the APC, according to competent sources, have resolved to dethrone the ruling PDP come July.
He said: “The APC is presently re-strategizing in order to capitalize on the ruling party’s miscalculation. What they intend to do first is to harvest aggrieved persons immediately after the PDP Primaries in July and, you just wait and see how they will finish the PDP,”

Will the executive fiat work?
The duo of Fayose and Adeyeye hitherto political allies have succeeded in factionalizing the Ekiti State chapter of the People Democratic Party ahead of the primaries election. The supremacy fight has made Fayose to employ a divide and rule tactics in order to frustrate some aggrieved persons out of the party in Ekiti State.
Meanwhile at a public forum weeks ago, Governor Fayose has said there was no going back on the choice of his deputy as his successor. He, therefore, advised the aggrieved people to join other political parties. He was quoted as saying emphatically that: “The PDP has taken a position and we have no apologies for that, and the position is that Olusola should take over after me, as the Governor of Ekiti State.
“It does not matter to us how many people are abusing us because of our action. They are even free to join our adversaries, but we will defeat them as God liveth,” Fayose allegedly boasted.
As observed by Adeyeye during one of his political outing recently, he said: “The division in Ekiti chapter of the PDP may result to chaos and mass defection if the house is not put in order by the party national secretariat,”.
The question to ask at this juncture is: Is Ekiti PDP immune to imminent collapse?
Adeyeyehad penultimate week passed a vote of no confidence on the State working committee (SWC) of the party saying: “ Fayose and State Working Committee should not have any role in the primaries to pick the party’s candidate in Ekiti governorship polls later this year. The SWC should be disqualified in the process and be replaced by a caretaker committee,” he warned.

The Kashamu, Oni connection
The running battle between the governor and his former political friends turned foes, Senator Kashamu Buruji would also be a factor to contend with before and after the governorship primaries in the state.
He said: “Immediately after Fayose and Kashamu fell apart, some of the latter’s loyalists joined the mega party while others stayed back in PDP. The problem now is that those from the inside are now courting the runaway loyalists in readiness for the governorship election. He said: “There is no likelihood that these people want to follow Fayose at all because Kashamu is still oiling his political machinery in the State,”
Expectedly too, the cold war between Fayose and Oni, according to the source may also work against him. He said: “ Segun Oni still have his loyalists in our party today whether anyone believe it or not and he is still in contact with them. These guys are waiting to do a protest vote because they are aggrieved over the treatment meted at them by the current administration and up till now, they are yet to address it.
“Majority of them are former chairmen and councillors who were expelled by Fayose. About thirty percent were later re-absorbed while the rest are just floating without any severance package or recognition whatsoever by this government,” he added.
As it were, observers think stakeholders in Ekiti State should do the needful before the party primaries hence, the mass exodus threat which was predicted by Adeyeye might come to pass.

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