Adeyeye, Ex-minister, dumps PDP following loss at Ekiti primary

By The Nigerian Voice
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Following the outcome of the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekti State, which didn't go in his favour,

The former Minister of Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party following misgivings over the outcome of the party’s governorship primary in Ekti State .

Adeyeye, who came second in the primary, is not happy about the overly influence of the state governor Ayo Fayose in the primary.

Fayose supported his deputy Prof. Kolapo Olusola who emerged the PDP flag-bearer in the coming election.

Adeyeye, obviously seething with the anger over his failure in the primary, said the said he cannot allow himself to be enslaved by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The former minister said he was moving to another party to seek the votes of Ekiti people to develop the state.

Adeyeye promised to reveal the platform he would use to contest the July 14 governorship “in the next 48 hours.”

Fayose's deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola garnered 1,119 to defeat Adeyeye, who polled 771, in the election conducted by Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Meanwhile, Fayose has accused the former PDP National Publicity Secretary of the PDP of raining curses on him when he called to plead with him to accept the result of the Tuesday governorship primary election in good faith.

Fayose stated this on Wednesday night while answering questions on a radio and television programme on state channels in Ado-Ekiti.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti wednesday, Adeyeye after a meeting with his supporters, alleged that Fayose's agenda was to do a third term in office by installing Olusola in a bid to perpetually corner Ekiti's commonwealth.

He said he would have won the PDP governorship primary “if not for the way Fayose intimidated delegates by forcing them to wear aso ebi to the venue.”

Despite allegedly monitoring delegates, Adeyeye said many of them voted against Olusola which enabled him (Adeyeye) to garner 771 votes.

He claimed that the governor who had boasted that he (Adeyeye) would not get up to 50 votes, was shocked that he got 771 votes which allegedly made him (Fayose) to embark on an investigation of those who voted against Olusola.

The former minister claimed that Fayose has wasted N8 billion Ekiti funds on chartered flights in the last three and half years while the flyover project was jerked up from N5 billion to N17 billion.

He said: “I am leaving the party because it can change but your state cannot change; party can change, your hometown cannot change.

“I can't be part of enslavement, I can't be part of corruption, I can't be part of those keeping our people in poverty but spend billions of naira on chartered flights to Abuja every year but will be riding okada at home.

In a statement yesterday by the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, he quoted the governor as saying that he had twice called Adeyeye on the outcome of the primary election which Adeyeye lost to Olusola.

“I called Prince Adeyeye twice and on each occasion, he rained curses on me and would not even listen to what I had to say. He said I should never call him again. I am not afraid of the curses because I know I have not done anything to warrant that or for the curses to have any effect on me.”

He said: “By the constitution of our party, I have the right to support anybody for any position, just like I have the right to vote for anybody during elections. I did not hide my preference for my deputy among those seeking to succeed me as governor in our party, so, I was surprised at his reaction.

“If it was him that I supported for the position, would he have done that? The process through which our candidate emerged followed due process. I did not interfere with the process and I did not manipulate anything in favour of anybody.

“How many state governors have supported their deputies to aspire to be governors? I have nothing personal against anybody and Olusola has been loyal, effective and committed as my deputy and I cannot repay him in a bad manner,” he said.