Report by Kamil Opeyemi
The crisis rocking the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP worsened on Tuesday as former governor of Ekiti State, Peter Ayodele Fayose boycotted the campaign rally party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Others who were conspicuously absent from the presidential rally include acting PDP State Chairman, Lanre Omolase, former governorship candidate, Bisi Kolawole, seven of the nine PDP National Assembly candidates and 20 of 26 House of Assembly Candidates.
Fayose is a member of the ‘Integrity Group’ who are currently slugging it out over the refusal of PDP national chairman, Iyorcha Ayu to step down for a southerner to occupy the space for the sake of equity, fairness and justice within the party.
Fayose had in June, last year in one of tweets insisted that a successor to President Muhammad Buhari must come from the Southern part of the country.
“The PDP Constitution provides for a rotational Presidency. Section 3(c) provides that the Party shall pursue its aims & objectives by “adhering to the policy of the rotation & zoning of Party & Public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice, and fairness’
“The current President of Nigeria is a 2-term Northern Presidency, thus implying that it MUST be a Southern Presidency in 2023 or NOTHING. Awa ‘South’ lo kan’. Nigerians should await details soon,” he had tweeted
However,addressing the party supporters that graced the rally in Ado-Ekiti, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar promised to construct and rehabilitate roads in the state if he is elected president of Nigeria.
“What I can assure you is that if you vote PDP into power next month, the way you have made us happy today, we will also make you happy in Ekiti State.
“Some people are talking about the road from here to Akure. We will do it, not only that one but all the roads that connect you to other states, we shall construct them,”he said
Describing Ekiti as a centre of intellectual discourse, the former Vice President said the state has more educated residents when compared to other states of the federation.
If elected as President, the PDP flagbearer promised that his administration will ensure that the human resources in the state will be utilized.
“I can assure you that a PDP Federal Government will make use of the human capital that God has endowed you in Ekiti. It is your God-giving gift and we shall utilise that human resources that God has given you.
“Besides, we want to make sure that our young men and women have sources of income, and businesses to do. That is why I pledged to set aside $10 billion so that those young men and women who want to get involved in enterprises with the given capital so that they can achieve their live-time ambitions,”he added.
Meanwhile,the spokesperson of Atiku-Okowa campaign council,Dino Melaye had alleged that some of his party members in Ekiti State of conniving with the All Progressives Congress, APC, to frustrate the presidential rally in the State.
Melaye, who made the allegation via his tweeter handle said the APC and some PDP members who are against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar stopped all commercial vehicles from operating in the State during the rally.
His tweet reads,”As APC and some PDP members ‘collabo’ to stop all commercial vehicles from operating in Ekiti today, in an effort to frustrate our rally, people defied all challenges and walked kilometers to the Ekiti pavilion. Atiku magic.”