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AHEAD of June 21 Ekiti State gubernatorial election, National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP declared yesterday that former governor Ayo Fayose who won last week’s primary election to defeat others, remains the party’s candidate for the election.
*Ayo Fayose
In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received the report of the Ekiti State Governorship Primary Electoral Committee.
“After thorough consideration of the report, the NWC approved the result and upheld the nomination of Ayo Fayose as the candidate of the PDP for the June 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State.
“The NWC commended the committee for the conduct of a peaceful and transparent exercise and urged all PDP members in the state, including the other aspirants to support the candidate of the party to ensure a successful outing at the guber election.”
13 out of the 14 aspirants contesting for the ticket were clamouring for consensus, while Fayose insisted that there must be primary and he eventually won the primary with a wide margin last Saturday.
Reacting to the party’s position, Fayose, who spoke through his aide, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, appealed to those who lost to put behind them issues before the primary and let them bury the hatchet, just as he urged them to work with him for the success of the party.
He said, “I wish to thank the PDP leadership and Mr. President for providing we the aspirants a level play ground. I thank the party leadership for upholding my nomination. I promised with God helping me, I will deliver Ekiti state to PDP.
“To those who lost, am appealing to them to bury the hatchet and put the primary behind and lets work together for the party to win. The PDP umbrella is very wide and accomodating. I can assure them that nobody will lose and I will not victimise anybody. The interest of the party is far above any personal interest.”
But reacting through his spokesman, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said: “Picking Fayose by the PDP is purely internal affairs of the PDP and the party has the right to pick who it feels can win the election. Fayemi who we learnt developed malaria immediately Fayose was declared winner perhaps is back to office now.
“Fayemi and APC can call Fayose names they like. It is meaningless to the teachers, workers, traders, Okada riders, drivers, artisans, pensioners and students who went to town jubilating because Fayose won the primary.
“It is a signal to Fayemi if he does not know that his days in the government are numbered since Saturday March 22 when Fayose won the party’s ticket.
“Fayemi who accused Jonathan of supporting Fayose perhaps has forgotten that Bola Tinubu and Niyi Adebayo equally supported him during the ACN governorship primary in 2006 over Dayo Adeyeye, Caleb Olubolade and 14 others prompting their defection to PDP. So, what is wrong in that assuming that Jonathan supported Fayose which he did not but provided level play ground for all the aspirants.
“On the issue of murder raised by Fayemi, the police have since 2008 cleared Fayose. On EFCC case, I can’t talk on that because the matter is in the court and by the grace of God the law says I am innocent until court proved otherwise. Therefore, the cries of Fayemi are meaningless. We are going to meet in the ring on June 21 and will know that I am his master.”
