An Elder statesman and Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Elder Wole Oyelese has described former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose as a figure being used by the incumbent National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus to disrupt the peace of the party in the South-West because of Secondus’ ambition to retain his position.
The Former Minister who was Aanuoluwapo Omorinde’s Guest on IMPACT POINT – a News and Current Affairs programme on IBR 92.5 fm Ibadan on Sunday noted that the proponent of Stomach Infrastructure politics is fighting Governor Seyi Makinde in order to remain relevant in politics.
In his words, “Fayose is only trying to be impossible. Seyi Makinde is the Leader of the Party in the South West. It is undisputed! But you see, that is part of politics. Fayose knows that he will become irrelevant and he does not want to be irrelevant. Let me tell you, if he stops to fight Makinde, who will think about him? People are fighting him in his own State so somebody who cannot handle his own State, how can he handle a whole region successfully? When he was Governor, we devolved to him. Will he call himself my Leader in politics or in PDP? But because he was a Governor then, he was my Leader and we devolved to him”.
“I am not happy about what I read in the papers that he said about Seyi Makinde. When he was Governor and we supported him, it has nothing to do with age. Most of us Leaders are old enough to give birth to him but we respected him because of his position. Every right thinking person should support Seyi Makinde as the Leader of the party in the South West not because of anything but because that is what the party’s Convention says and everybody should respect that”.
He described those saying that the PDP’s Constitution does not confer any leadership status on any Governor as hypocrites. “They can say that now because the shoe is pinching on the other leg. Why didn’t they say that when Ayodele Fayose was the Governor of Ekiti and the Leader of PDP in the South West? But because of selfish reasons”.
“Let me take you back a bit. When my friend Bode George was trying to be the Chairman of the party in Nigeria, let’s face it, among all the Candidates including Uche Secondus, Bode George stood head and shoulder above everybody but Ayodele Fayose had a critical role to play at that time as the only Governor in the South West but he did’nt do it because he wanted to be the Vice President of the Country and they tricked him and we knew they were fooling him. Ayodele Fayose squandered the opportunity of the South-West to produce the National Chairman of the Party. Do you know what the National Chairman of the party means? For someone who knows politics, it means a lot! But Fayose prevented it because of his selfish ambition to become the Vice President” He cannot deny that he traded the interest of a whole region because of his ambition”.
Reacting to the fact that Fayose has been able to woo some Loyalists of Governor Seyi Makinde to his side, he said “Let Governor Seyi Makinde make things right and nothing is going to happen again. Then, I will be at the vanguard of those who will beckon on other people to come back”.
“APC is watching us and we have to be very careful. Oyo State is the only State belonging to the PDP. Now the South-West is being polarized because of Fayose’s ambition. Secondus is trying to come back a second time. Some people don’t want Secondus to come back. Secondus needs support. Again, Fayose has opened now to be the way to get his support so, it will take political dexterity on the part of Seyi Makinde to kick Fayose out and it is so simple!”.
“Do yo know why what Seyi Makinde is doing will not be pleasing to someone like Fayose? Fayose is an agent of Secondus and Secondus is trying to make sure that the last Executives of the party in the South West are returned and we won;t allow that in Oyo State because we have been short-changed. We have nothing in Oyo State. In the Working Committee, Ondo had one, Ekiti had one, now you are wanting us to fold our arms because you want the Executives to remain the same, where!”.
On whether the internal rancour in the South West will not consume the party, he submitted “when the chips are down, some of us know what to do”.
