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Kehinde Adewole
Ahead of the Congress of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, elders and stakeholders at the weekend endorsed the anointed candidate of former Governor Ayo Fayose, Chief Bisi Kolawole.
Kolawole is vying for the chairmanship seat of the party in Ekiti State. He had been the Commissioner for Environment under the immediate past administration of Fayose. The elders of the party announced him as their preferred candidate to replace the incumbent Chairman, Gboyega Oguntuase, at the congress of the party slated for April 2, 2020.
Former Publicity Secretary of the party, Tope Aluko, who is also contesting, while reacting said he would have to be convinced beyond reasonable a doubt on the choice of a consensus candidate before he surrenders.
Apart from the endorsement of Kolawole as preferred chairmanship candidate, the elders also endorsed the candidature of Mr Joseph Omolase as the preferred secretary.
The State Working Committee (SWC) of the party had earlier dissociated itself from the alleged move by the elders and stakeholders led by the former Governor to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the primary.
However, reading the communique after the meeting of the elders and stakeholders on Saturday, Chief Idowu Odeyemi, from the Southwest caucus, said that the decision to endorse Kolawole was taken after consultation across the length and breadth of the state.
Odeyemi allayed fears that what the elders have done amounted to an imposition, saying that “we have to say however that this endorsement by the elders does not foreclose the right to participate, which means the race is still open.
“We have only expressed our right to endorse our preferred candidate, which mean other groups can also endorse their own as well.”
He added that the elders were aware that other groups within the party have also endorsed their preferred candidates.
“We will meet them at the congress. We are not imposing a candidate, we have only expressed our right. The party is one and after the congress, we shall remain one,” he said.
Reacting to the development while fielding questions from reporters, Fayose said he openly supported Bisi Kolawole who has just been endorsed by the elders of the party to move the party forward.
“We are not doing this to score any point, we are only looking for somebody who can manage our party vis-a-vis the fact that we don’t have a sitting governor.
“By the grace of God, I am the only person that has served as governor that is still in this party. I am the only two-term governor that still in this party. It would amount to evil for anyone to wish me away.
“You must equally remember that politics is about interest. Parts of the interest embedded in this congress is the governorship contest that is ahead. So I won’t blame anybody for doing what they did. But don’t forget that I told them when Adeyeye was contesting that it would end in the midst of nowhere and it happens like that.
“Adeyeye ended up in the APC and ended up out of the APC. Some of them on the other side that are leading rebellion will go the same round. I have been the pillar and a major stakeholder in this party. I am not saying that I have the whole say, but the fact remains that I have given my best to this party.
“I want to assure you that I am not contesting. I don’t want to be governor, even if I want to be governor, I am no longer eligible. So I want us to do this contest without rancour, but the moment it is about rebellion, if you don’t have the numerical strength, you will lose.
“We are going to engage everybody in a free and fair contest. We are not sharing any position, we want a contest and whichever way it goes, we will accept it”, the ex-governor said.
On the review of the judgments of Supreme Court being sought by political parties, Fayose described the development as unfortunate, saying it would become messy if the apex court reversed itself.
“It is unfortunate either way, for those of us who are not in the judiciary and those of them in the judiciary. The Nigerian situation is a reflection of its state of decay. For me, it is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this situation.
“Above all the judiciary, seen as the hope of common man, must not allow itself to be ridiculed before the whole world. We are relying on them to assist the country. You can see that we have lost every goodwill in our security, in our economy, because every man is doing his own thing.
“I want the judiciary to please not allow the mistake of the past to happen again. I have not said that they (judiciary) have done well, but it will be difficult for it to reverse itself.
If they do this it will become messy. I have not said they have done well, I also have not said that they have done the right thing, but for them to start reversing themselves… my candidate Olusola Eleka would also go back to the Supreme Court for a review. But we are not happy with some of their decisions,” he said.
