December 21, (THEWILL) – The People’s Democratic Party, PDP Senatorial and House of Representatives Candidates in Ekiti State, have rejected the composition of the Ekiti State Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee.
In a letter addressed to the Director General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council on 18th December, 2022, the candidates said the persons appointed as Directors of Campaign for the Central and North Senatorial Districts are members of Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The letter was signed by Alhaji Lateef Ajijola, Senatorial Candidate, Central; Funso Ayeni, Senatorial Candidate, North; Otunba Oluyinka Akerele, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti North 1; Lere Olayinka, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti Central 2; Hon. Mrs Emiola Adenike Jennifer, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti South 2; Joju Fayose, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti Central 1 and Otunba Babatunde Ajayi, House of Reps Candidate, Ekiti North 2.
The candidates said in the letter that “the SDP is fielding Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in the above-mentioned Senatorial Districts.
“In the list, the majority of the nominees are not members of the PDP. They are SDP members. Furthermore, majority of the rest, who are PDP members did not win their polling units in the last governorship election.
“Our elections will be held alongside that of the president.
“The implication is that members of SDP will work against us as our Senatorial Directors of Campaign for our elections”, the candidates said in the letter.
They further said: “To us, the campaign council/committee is not a gift item to impress anybody if the objective is actually to win the elections.
“To this end, as stakeholders/candidates, whose elections will hold alongside the presidential election, we the underlisted candidates reject the composition of the Campaign Management Committee in its entirety, and demand the implementation of the earlier list submitted by the party.”
It could also be recalled that the party’s candidate in the June 2022 gubernatorial election in the state, Mr Bisi Kolawole, had also rejected the composition of the Ekiti State Presidential Campaign Council and the position of its chairmanship given to him on the basis of inclusion of SDP members in the state.
In the letter he sent to the Director General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kolawole said: “My attention has been drawn to the list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee for Ekiti State, being circulated on the Social Media.
“Even though I have not been officially consulted by anyone, I wish to raise the following concerns as per membership of the Campaign Council and Management Committee, should the list being circulated on Social Media be authentic.
“As you already know, I am a committed and loyal member of the PDP, and so I will remain.
“However, in spite that I regard this appointment as a honour, I wish to state that I will not be able function in the midst of people who openly and gladly worked against my election.”
Kolawole further said the SDP members included in the Campaign Management Committee are people who left PDP before the governorship election, and have not returned to the party.
“With their inclusion in the Campaign Committee, how will they function when their party, the SDP, is also fielding candidates for National Assembly and the National Assembly elections will hold same day as that of the President?
“Will they be campaigning for the presidential candidate of our party and at the same time be campaigning for the Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates of the SDP?
“While I am not against the party and its presidential candidate having a working arrangements with members of other parties including the SDP, I am, however, of the belief that such arrangements should not amount to rewarding people who decamped to other parties to work against the PDP with membership of the party’s campaign committee. By doing this, we are only saying that it pays to leave PDP and work for other parties. This to me, will be a sad commentary on party loyalty and discipline.
“In view of the above, I wish to notify you that I will not be able to function as Chairman of the Campaign Council.
“This will, however, not affect my commitment as member and a leader of the PDP in Ekiti State.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
