A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State loyal to Senator Biodun Olujimi has described as fake the purported letter by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) endorsing Mr Bisi Kolawole as the state chairman.
Mr Kehinde Odebunmi, the PDP factional Chairman, made the clarification while addressing newsmen in Ado-Ekiti.
Odebunmi maintained that the letter won’t preclude the faction from existing.
He said that it doubted the authenticity of the letter on the strength that it was addressed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, and copied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It would be recalled that the party’s State congress held on August 22 produced two factional chairmen, with Kolawole emerging from former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s faction while Odebunmi was elected from a parallel group loyal to Senator Olujimi.
Odebunmi said the contents of the letter purportedly signed by the National Secretary, Sen. Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, were full of confusion and ambiguities.
“Firstly, we doubt the authenticity of the letter purportedly written by the National Secretary, because it was solely written and signed by the National Secretary.
“By my own understanding, any letter by any party to any federal agency is always co-signed by the Chairman and Secretary.
“Again, in paragraph two of the letter, the party owned up that it hasn’t conducted the ward and state congresses in 22 wards of two local governments.
“If that was the case, why should they proceed with the state congress when there were outstanding? Are they saying the two councils are not part of Ekiti? They should know that you can’t build something on nothing.
“Let me also notice that the letter was addressed to IG of Police and copied INEC. At what time did the IGP become the superintending authority over INEC?
“We are of the opinion that a separate letter has to be written to INEC and should be co-signed by the National Chairman and Secretary.
“We know their antics, they didn’t write to INEC directly, because it didn’t participate in the charade they called congress here in Ekiti.
“To us, we doubt the authenticity of that letter going by ambiguities contained therein,” he said.
Odebunmi also used the opportunity to reaffirmed the position of the group and that of its leader, Senator Olujimi adopting Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the PDP leader in the South-West.
“The entire leadership and members of PDP in Ekiti State seize this medium to reiterate our earlier position that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is the leader of PDP in South-West and we are solidly behind him.
“He is, therefore, free to visit Ekiti State like other states in the zone at anytime he deems fit,” Olunbumi, a former House of Representatives member, added.
