The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayose continued his verbal onslaught against former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, as he demanded the immediate return of his N10 million donation to his library project with interest.
Fayose, who described the library project as one of the greatest fraud ever, said the 30 governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) were compelled to donate N10m each in 2005 to the multibillion naira project.
The was just as the PDP Southwest caucus passed a confidence vote in the leadership of the Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee, branding the Ali Modu Sheriff group as mere usurpers of the party’s structure.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on yesterday at the opening session of the PDP Southwest stakeholders’ meeting, advised former President Obasanjo to stop seeing himself as a saint.
Fayose, who visibly expressed his anger against some leaders of the party for refusing to speak up against political persecution of members of the party by the All Progressive Congress led Federal government, said they should not be afraid to speak against tyranny and any form of oppression.
Urging members to remain bold and undaunted in the face of perceived intimidation by gents of the All Progressives Congress(APC) , Fayose predicted that God will soon move against those that are oppressing the PDP members in the country by declaring their seats vacant.
Present at the meeting are: Host governor, Mr. Fayose, his deputy, Dr Kolapo Olusola, former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniels, Senator Iyiola Omisore, former PDP Deputy Chairman, Chief Bode George, former PDP National Vice Chairman, Mr Tajudeen Oladipo, PDP Spokesperson, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, a member of the House of Representative from Ogun, Hon Oladipupo Adebutu, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Prof Olu Agbi.
Others are: PDP Chairmen in Ogun, Chief Sikirudeen Ogundele, Ondo, Clement Faboyede, Ekiti, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, Oyo, Hon Muraina Ajibola, Lagos, Mr Moshood Salvador, Osun, Mr Bayo Faforiji, Chief Mrs Kofoworola Bucknor, Chief Paul Alabi, among others. According to Fayose “We were compelled to make the donation as PDP governors in 2005 and now I need the return of my money with interest”, he said.
The Governor, who described the Sheriff’s faction as ‘moles’ and ‘political kidnappers’ within the party, added that “Yes, they are kidnappers, because when you took what does not belong to you, then you are a kidnapper. To me, I stand with Makarfi, because the judiciary has no reason to appoint the chairman and executive members for party owners.
“How can you call yourself the leader of a party and be working for the opposition.
Sheriff and his group will fail in their devilish plot against our party. We, the committed members of this party will not allow this evil to work, because charlatans can’t be allowed to hijack our party.
“To me, the PDP is one under Ahmed Makarfi. I want you to be speaking out against President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, nobody can kill you.
The tough time we are passing through is just a phase as tough time never last but tough people do. “They said the PDP people are corrupt, but if you look critically, the PDP are mere petty thieves while APC members are super robbers.
They are only interested in destroying and oppressing our members while the people groan in sufferings. Today, the country is under emergency situation.
“They said we should use political means to settle our differences, let me say that even if we reconcile there are some people I can’t be in the same party with .
They are dirty and people like us can’t associate with them”.
Fayose boasted that he will concede victory to the APC in the next year’s election if the opposition wins ten out of the 177 wards in the state.
“I am even ready to concede defeat if they win only one local government. No matter what they do, we are on ground and we are winning 16-0 again, because we have the people behind us”, he boasted.
In the communiqué read by the Ekiti State Deputy governor after the meeting, the party passed confidence vote in Makarfi leadership and also declared support for the party’s appeal against the judgement of the Appeal Court, which validated the Sheriff-led Executive. The party also reposed confidence in the leadership of Fayose as the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ forum and the Eddy Olafeso-led south west leadership.
