Barely three days after the primary election of the Ekiti state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in which Governor, Ayodele Fayose’s deputy Professor Kolapo Olusola emerged the winner, the former national publicity secretary of the party, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye have dumped the party.
Adeyeye who was also former Minister of State for Works said he was quitting the party to pursue his governorship ambition to develop the state.
He disclosed that quite a number of political parties have been wooing him since he lost the PDP primary to Fayose’s anointed candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola to come over to their.
Speaking with newsmen on Thursday shortly after meeting with his supporters on his next move he said he would reveal the platform he would use to contest for the governorship “in the next forty hours”.
He alleged that Fayose’s agenda was to do a third term in office by installing Olusola in a bid to perpetually corner Ekiti’s commonwealth.
According to him, he would have won the PDP governorship primary “if not for the way Fayose intimidated delegates by forcing them to wear aso ebi to the venue.”
He revealed that Fayose allegedly coerced the delegates on local government basis to monitor how they voted which intimidated many of them.
Despite allegedly monitoring delegates, Adeyeye said many of the delegates voted against Olusola which enabled him (Adeyeye) to garner 771 votes.
He said: “I am leaving the party because party can change but your state cannot change, party can change, your hometown cannot change.
“I can’t be part of enslavement, I can’t be part of corruption, I can’t be part of those keeping our people in poverty but spend billions of Naira on chartered flights to Abuja every year but will be riding okada at home.
“By seeking another platform, I want to tell him that he can’t be riding roughshod over Ekiti people and he cannot turn Ekiti to one-man rule.
“Our party leaders in Abuja were surprised at my performance at the primary despite the intimidation but I told them that I can change party, party may go into extinction but Ekiti will remain.
“I will not, because of party affiliation, allow Ekiti to be destroyed. That is why we will takes decision today on where we are going. Since Tuesday, civil servants, teachers, local government workers have become sad. Ekiti has been enveloped in mourning.
“What is paramount in my mind is to liberate Ekiti. Today, we will not reveal where we are going yet but we are no longer where we were.”
In a swift reaction Governor Ayodele Fayose said,’’ We appreciate him for the time he has spent, for participating in the primaries. PDP has demonstrated to the whole world that we can offer a level playing ground. We have given a level playing ground to everybody and to every election, there will be losers and winners.
‘’I called him yesterday and he was raining curses on me and he was boasting that he would fight me with everything he has
‘’I am Peter the rock nobody can fight me. I have given everybody a level playing ground which actually no sitting governor will do. Having done the best in this circumstances, I leave everything to God. But I want to assure you that his departure will make no difference.
‘’To our teeming party members, i advise that this party has lost elections two times before, one to ex-governor Adebayo and another when Fayemi became governor. The party is more important we should stay together to win the election
