Hon. Ayo Fadaka, the immediate past
Zonal Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West has taken exception to a statement issued by the State Chapter of the party in Ondo State where the party’s Chief Scribe in the state, Kennedy Peretei, said that there are no cleavages in the party.
In a statement personally issued on Wednesday, Fadaka said the position of Peretei shows he has a poor understanding of mechanisms that propel Party actions.
He wrote:
I take due cognizance of the statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary and immediately take exceptions to it on the following grounds;
(1) that the statement was concocted in reaction to my response to an aide of Gov Seyi Makinde, Dare Adeleke, who went abusive because the Party leaders from Ogun State paid a visit to ex-Gov Ayo Fayose, pledging their support for his leadership initiatives.
(2) in my said reaction to Dare Adeleke, I impressed on him that there are always cleavages in political Parties and such do not necessarily translate to schisms. I also made him realize that it is cheap and pedestrian to insult people on account of the choices they make.
That at the end of it all, we will all continue to dwell under our big umbrella. I also stated very confidently that Gov Seyi Makinde, his principal cannot be supportive of his actions.
(3) therefore, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the State Publicity Secretary’s position that there are no cleavages in the Party stems from a poor understanding of mechanisms that propel Party actions.
For instance, Dr Eddy Olafeso and I are interested in contesting elections into Zonal positions Gov Makinde wants to take away from our State and you expect us to just agree to that without activating our inalienable rights?
To that extent, there are cleavages in the Party!
What I believe he should say is that there are no schisms in the Party in Ondo State and I will gladly agree with him.
(4) that we are all members of the PDP, with our full fledge rights intact. To that extent, free to aspire to positions, ask to be voted for, and cast free ballots.
Therefore, I declare that the PDP in Ondo State is not, and cannot become a vassal to another State Chapter, irrespective of the choices functionaries may choose or adopt, we remain unencumbered.
(5) I am not unaware of attacks on the person of ex-Gov Ayo Fayose by individuals in our Party because he continues to insist that resolutions arrived at in Zonal Meeting held in Ibadan on 12th March 2020 be strictly adhered to.
Those attacking him do so because they seek to profiteer from an arrangement that is designed to compromise, reduce and alter the influence of Ondo State PDP in both Zonal and National schemes of the Party.
(6)arising from (5) above, ex-Gov Ayo Fayose and other leaders across the Zone continue to insist that the Zonal positions as zoned at an extraordinary meeting that had Gov Seyi Makinde in attendance must be adhered to.
In the said meeting, the National Vice Chairman and Zonal Publicity Secretary were Zoned to Ondo State. This runs contrary to what Gov Seyi Makinde’s last meeting in Ibadan proposed for our State, the Zonal Organizing Secretary.
(5) that only unstructured people can readily acquiesce with the unnecessary repudiation of resolutions and agreements and as such Leaders across the Zone from Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Lagos, majorly, and many from Oyo and Ondo take exceptions to the fresh alterations of the Ibadan meeting.
(7) that the fact that Dr Eddy Olafeso and myself, Ayo Fadaka are interested in contesting again as National Vice Chairman and Zonal Publicity Secretary, and widely supported across the Zone indicate that we are no vassals of anyone in this Party.
We remain loyal and committed members of our Party, willing and ready to continue to work for our Party.
(8) that we appreciate Dr Ayo Fayose’s leadership and support for our aspirations and indeed Party interest across the zone and nation.
I also appreciate other leaders like Senator Demola Adeleke of Osun, Hon Ladi Adebutu of Ogun and Dr Ogunkelu of Lagos for their steadfastness.
(9) I also know that puerile minded people continue to abuse ex-Gov Ayo Fayose on account of his comments on a former colleague of his who is a leader in APC. To such myopic and pedestrian minds, I wish to make it clear that Party membership does not preclude us from having relationships with people in other Parties.
This was even displayed by our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede during the Governorship debates where he very fondly and repeatedly described our main foe in that election, Gov Rotimi Akeredolu as his “egbon” friend and colleague. That did not in any manner indicate he was not contesting the election to win, though, sadly we lost and currently before the Tribunal.
It is therefore cheap and petty for the SPS, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei to insinuate in a veiled manner that ex-Gov Ayo Fayose may probably lead a non-existing faction of our Party to APC.
We are PDP, we will remain in our Party.
(10) now that it is obvious that we will have an elective Zonal Congress, where consensus will be tall to achieve, contending forces must begin to work towards attaining victory without damaging the Party.
(11) as for me, I remain in my Party continuously.
I also want to place on record that I have worked assiduously for this Party and continues to so do.
As Director of Publicity in Ondo State, I built the public profile of this Party and firmly placed it on a very high pedestal from which it must not degenerate, so that my labours of the past “shall not be in vain”.
When I moved to the South West as Zonal Publicity Secretary, I again did the same. I used the position to aggregate the position of Party and people of this region. I continue to declare that my activities remain the catalyst that created the consciousness that made our Governors create the Amotekun security initiative, whoever is in doubt should see my press statements of May 26th 2019 and 4th February 2020.
Such is the hallmark of my productivity.
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