By Opeyemi Adelakun
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of contributing to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while alleging that he eventually took control of the party’s structure in Ekiti.
Fayose made the claims while appearing on TVC’s Politics Tonight, where he reflected on the political differences that emerged within the PDP after the 2023 general elections.
The former governor said he abandoned what remained of the PDP’s structure after Makinde allegedly took over the party machinery in Ekiti State and handed it to unnamed individuals.
Fayose also linked the internal crisis within the opposition party to what he described as the “inordinate ambition” of some political leaders.
He recalled that Makinde had previously assured him that he would not contest for the presidency in a manner that would pit him against President Bola Tinubu.
According to Fayose, the assurance followed his discovery of a campaign flyer promoting Makinde for president.
He said he sent the flyer to Makinde, who subsequently contacted him and dismissed those promoting the idea as people seeking financial benefits.
Fayose claimed Makinde told him that if he ever decided to contest the presidency, he would make the announcement himself and would not allow himself to be used against Tinubu.
“He said that if he wanted to contest, he would say it himself and he would not be the Yoruba man who would be used against another Yoruba man like Asiwaju. God is my witness, and let him deny it,” Fayose said.
Fayose Blames Makinde For PDP Troubles
Fayose also revisited the role played by the PDP’s G-5 governors during the 2023 presidential election, when the group opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He questioned what went wrong with the political arrangement and why Makinde and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, remain at the centre of the current political realignment.
According to Fayose, excessive political ambition often creates divisions among political actors and parties.
“It’s very obvious that when you have inordinate ambition, you will have problems,” he said.
The former governor further alleged that Makinde took the PDP structure in Ekiti from him and handed it over to people he declined to identify.
“Makinde took the whole structure of PDP from me and gave it to some characters that I don’t want to talk about, so I left the carcass of the party for him,” Fayose said.
Leave a Reply