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Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party is set to lose some of its leaders and governorship aspirants following the emergence of Mr. Ayodele Fayose as the candidate of the party in the June 21 election in the state.
A governorship aspirant of the party, Sen. Gbenga Aluko, who stated this at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said some PDP leaders and aspirants in the state will either defect to the opposition parties or tacitly work for the opposition party instead of supporting Fayose.
Aluko, who said he was the consensus candidate of the other 13 aspirants, said the other aspirants voted for him at the meeting they had in Abuja on Friday.
He insisted that if President Goodluck Jonathan does not intervene in the PDP crisis in the state, he (Jonathan) would be the greatest loser at the end.
Aluko, who spoke in the presence of two other aspirants, said after losing the governorship election in Ekiti State, the party would proceed to losing the same election in Osun State.
It will be recalled that the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, had on Friday while presenting Fayose the certificate of return as flag-bearer of the PDP, said he would soon invite other aspirants for a meeting in abuja.
Fayose equally appealed to the losers of the primaries to work with him, noting that he would protect the interest of all members of the party.
Aluko however disagreed, saying he and other aspirants had agreed to forward him name to President Jonathan as the party’s candidate for the election.
The list of aspirants who endorsed Aluko as contained in a communique signed by Chairman of PDP in Ekiti State, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, included Adeyanju Bodunde, Adeyeye Adebayo, Adubiaro Abibat, Ajayi Deji, Aluko Abiodun.
Others were Aribisala Adewale, Bejide Oluwadare, Obafemi Peter, Ogunbolude Ropr, Ogundipe Modupe, Olubolade Caleb and Omoyeni Adebisi who sent a representative.
With Fayose’s emergence, Aluko said the PDP was already experiencing a meltdown, adding that the opposition was already discussing with most of the aggrieved members and leaders of the party in the state.
He said, “The party is undergoing serious meltdown. Even this morning people are calling me asking me what is happening. 11 local government chairmen out of 16, 12 women leaders out of 16 and eight youth leaders out of 16 are talking with the opposition party. Some of us will stay in the party but we are representing people not ourselves.
“I can tell you that a lot of our supporters will leave the party and go to the opposition. You know how we behave in Yoruba land. You can give us a candidate that we cannot follow and expect us to follow the candidate, it is not possible.
“If they insist on Fayose we wish them good luck. June 21 is around the corner. Unfortunately Mr. President maybe the biggest loser because the presidency is bigger than one state.”
Aluko further lambasted the national leadership of the party for “doctrine of madness” and “self grandeur” as propagated by Fayose as the solution to the PDP winning Ekiti State.
He added that it was an aberration for Fayose to have been cleared for an election considering the murder charge and corruption case against him adding that a lot of people in and out of Ekiti State are surprised that Fayose was cleared for the election
