The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Wole Oluyede, has taken a swipe at a former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose, saying the party won’t allow him to destroy the structure being built by the leaders to ensure PDP wins the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti.

Recall that the former governor recently described PDP in Ekiti as a party in coma, saying that those aspiring on the platform for the 2026 governorship election are wasting their time.

Addressing journalists after the party’s Stakeholders’ Meeting in Ado-Ekiti, Oluyede described Fayose’s expulsion from the party as ‘Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish,’ urging him to take responsibility for his role in weakening the PDP over the past three years.

The party candidate added that PDP in Ekiti has remained intact, united and stronger than before, despite Fayose’s alleged anti-party activities.

Oluyede urged the Tunji Odeyemi-led State Executive to set up a reconciliation committee to address aggrieved aspirants who lost the primary election to him and members of the party who are angry for one reason or another.

Commenting on the crisis rocking the party at the national level, he said that the ongoing issues will not affect the party’s chances in the state, insisting that politics remains a local affair.

His words, “Parties always have issues anywhere in the world, that’s why they are called political parties, but I have no issues with the national crisis. I am not running for national office; all I need is Ekiti people behind me, and that’s what we are going to get.

“If you have been a leader for eight years and people depend on you, you shouldn’t sell them short. He (Fayose) has a choice; he can come back, and we will welcome him.

“But if he chooses to stay out and say he will bulldoze the party, we will not allow him. If he throws dirt at us, we will send it back. Nobody builds a house and then brings a bulldozer to destroy it.

“Thank God he hasn’t been able to pull us down. We are building. We are getting stronger. There is no faction in this party”.

Earlier in his remarks, the PDP Chairman in Ekiti State, Tunji Odeyemi, urged members to return to their polling units and mobilise effectively for Oluyede, pledging he would not rest until the party wins the governorship election.