EKITI PDP CARPETS TINUBU OVER THREAT TO CAPTURE SOUTHWEST

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ekiti State chapter has described

threat by former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Bola Tinubu to dislodge the

party from the Southwest as an insult to the generality of the Yoruba

people, saying; “It is only in a society like ours where the end and

not the means is considered as important that characters like Tinubu

will be making such comments.”
Reacting to newspaper report credited to Tinubu that the PDP has lost

the 2011 elections in the Southwest, Ekiti State Chairman of the PDP,

Chief Bola Olu-Ojo, in a statement issued today said; “If it were to

other civilised countries of the world, the likes of Tinubu must have

been cooling the heels in jail. But because we are in Nigeria where

whoever that has money is the king, Tinubu, a man whose paternity,

academic history and source of wealth are still subject of debate can

afford to run his mouth, believing that he can buy anything with his

ill-gotten wealth.
Olu-Ojo, who described Tinubu's threat as empty, noted that; “It will

only take unholy alliance between Tinubu and his collaborators in the

judiciary for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to take over the

entire southwest.”
Said Olu-Ojo; “Yoruba people have history, they have pedigree and are

not people that can be bought easily by one rampaging political empire

seeking individual whose paternity is not known by anyone.

“Though we are not unaware of Tinubu's penchant for offering

irresistible bribe to judges with which he has been able to purchase

tribunal judgments for his party, but we must let him know that in

2011, it will be a different ball game.
“Let Tinubu and his foot soldiers know that in 2011, we will prepare

for both the elections and tribunals. Even when we win, we will also

challenge results of polling units where we lose. Therefore, it will

no longer be a case of the ACN getting votes in our strongholds

nullified and the party (ACN) getting judicial-electoral victories

through votes from its strongholds alone.
“Besides, Tinubu and his ilk should know that now that election

petitions will get to the Supreme Court, his allies in the Court of

Appeal might no longer be enough to secure victory for his party in

the courts.”
While reiterating the readiness of the PDP in Ekiti State for the 2011

elections, the chairman said; “Even with the loss of the governorship

to the ACN, PDP is still the party to beat in Ekiti. We have the

majority in the House of Assembly, the Speaker and Majority Leader

belong to our party. Apart from that, we are in total control of the

entire 16 Local Government and in spite of the ACN 419 membership

registration going on in the State, where people are being deceived

that the ACN membership card will be used for employments, the party

cannot match the PDP in term of membership.”