Makarfi cautions Fayose against campaign for 2019 presidency

• Says action is against PDP zoning arrangement
• Why we adopted Option A4 for council primary, by Ekiti gov
• Adeyeye asks leaders to intervene in party crisis

The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has said that the present campaign mounted by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to vie for the 2019 Presidency is contrary to the decision of the party’s convention that zoned presidency to the North.

Makarfi stated this in an interview in Kaduna when he spoke on national issues and the progress made by the PDP reconciliation committee in resolving the problems of aggrieved members.

He said: “He is on his own. What he is doing is not in compliance with the position of the party. The party’s position has not changed. The convention has zoned the presidency to the North and the chairmanship of the party to the South.”

Besides, Makarfi also dismissed speculation that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may be given an automatic ticket to contest the same position on the platform of the PDP if he finally decides to join the party before the 2019 general election.

Meanwhile, Fayose has said that the leadership of the PDP in the state adopted Option A4 system to conduct its primaries to select candidates for the coming local council election to allow transparency in the process.

Fayose, who stated this in Ado-Ekiti during the commencement of the exercise, also said the system would give room for the most popular candidates to win.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi yesterday, the governor was quoted as saying that Option A4 system would also help to reduce acrimony.

In another development, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, has urged the national leadership of the party to intervene in the crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the PDP.

He alleged that Fayose might destroy the party if the national leadership failed to intervene.

Director of Media and Publicity of Prince Adebayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Niyi Ojo, stated this yesterday in Ado-Ekiti while reacting to the decision of the governor to conduct the primary in the Government House.

He said: “The national leadership of our great party should quickly come to the rescue of the party in Ekiti State before Governor Fayose destroys the party.

“In the first instance, the governor created his own constitution by fixing the maximum age for chairmanship candidate at 50 years while maximum age for councillorship candidate at 30 years against the provisions of the Nigerian constitution. There is nowhere in the constitution that stipulates maximum age for any elective position.

“Furthermore, the primary elections to elect the candidates for councillorship and chairmanship of various local councils commenced yesterday at the Ekiti State Government House instead of the various wards and local councils respectively. The governor is the electoral officer for the exercise.”