By Bambo Ojo
A section of the Ekiti State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party loyal to Senator Biodun Olujimi has faulted the inauguration of the ward executives of the party in the state without following due process.
Olujimi said the state leadership of the party has taken definite position on the controversy surrounding the conduct of the ward Congress in Ekiti, by swearing-in the authentic ward leaders on Friday, may 1, in line with court’s pronouncement and party’s constitution.
The Senator thereby described the inauguration done by Fayose on April 30 as illegal, null and void.
The party, had in March conducted two congresses in Ekiti, with former Governor Ayodele Fayose group laying claim to victory for his faction while Olujimi had insisted that it was the Congress conducted by her faction that must be recognised.
A statement by one Engr. Alaba Agboola, Chairman, Ekiti PDP Repositioning Movement, on behalf of Senator Olujimi urged the party members to discountenance the said inauguration.
Olujimi insisted that the group inaugurted by Gboyega Oguntuase- led State Working Committee of the party was the authentic ward executive of the party in Ekiti.
“Our attention has been drawn to a purported inauguration of Ward Executives in Ekiti state on 30th April ,2020 by one Barrister Niyi Idowu who is based in Lagos and not a member of our party, PDP.
“We wish to state categorically that no such inauguration ever took place in Ekiti State and we stand solidly by the position of the State Executive Committee of the Party as expressed by its Chairman, Gboyega Oguntuase to the effect that the said purported inauguration has no basis in law and fact should be disregarded.
“Our people should learn lessons from the pronouncement of our Courts to the effect that only the State organ of a Party can inaugurate its local chapters.
“This is the extant position of the law as pronounced by a High Court in Calabar just a few days ago.
“The true position of events in Ekiti State is that only the Ward Executives elected on 7th March 2020 conducted by the PDP and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, and security agencies in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Section 85 and 86 of the Electoral Act remain authentic and have assumed to work as from 1st May 2020.
“As the tenure of the last Ward Executive ended at 12 midnight on 30th April 2020, the tenure of the authentic Ward Executives begins from today and they have been duly inaugurated and begun to function”.
Olujimi charged the new ward executives to carry every member of the party along in decision making and embark on aggressive mobilization of all factions in their various Wards to building a united, cohesive and well grounded PDP in Ekiti.
Olujimi therefore directed the new Ward Executives to begin to hold their meetings in line with government directives as it concerns COVID-19 pandemic.
“The authentic list of the Ward Executives in Ekiti State shall be published in due course.We congratulate them and wish them a successful tenure in office”, she said.
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