Ekiti PDP holds ward congress amid boycott by Fayose group

The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend held its congress in 177 wards to elect its executives to pilot the affairs of the party.

The congress took place after several postponements of the exercise due to irreconcilable differences in the state chapter of the party.

The Saturday ward congress was, however, boycotted by the former governor of the state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and the faction loyal to him under the auspices of the Osoko Political Assembly (OPA).

Recall that the group loyal to Fayose had earlier declared the caretaker committee put in place to oversee the activities of the party by the national leadership of the PDP, which supervised the congress, as illegal.

Speaking with newsmen at a recent event, a former member of the House of Assembly in Ekiti and leader of OPA said there was a state working committee that was legally elected and was dissolved to put in place the caretaker committee, adding that the committee’s emergence is illegal and “we are not part of the caretaker arrangement.”

A source in the group, who did not want to be mentioned, also disclosed to The Guardian that Fayose directed them not to participate in the congress but to await further directives from him on the next line of action.

However, despite the boycott, The Guardian observed that the ward congress, which was held across 177 wards in the state, witnessed huge turnouts of party members.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the congress committee, Chief Afolabi Adekanbi, has commended members of the party in the state for conducting themselves peacefully at the ward congresses across the 177 wards in the state.

The chairman, who spoke with journalists at the PDP State Secretariat in Ado Ekiti, said that the peaceful conduct of the congress has signified that the future of the PDP in Ekiti State is very bright and promising.

He applauded the leaders of the party for their discipline, temerity, and maturity in handling the affairs of the party, especially the way the congress was done without rancor.

The chairman noted that the state PDP has set a very good example for others across Nigeria, saying that “what happened in Ekiti State is a threat to the ruling party as it’s now clear that the PDP is more organized than any other party in Nigeria.”

He, however, urged all members of the party in the state to maintain the same tempo in the subsequent congresses, adding that “it’s not over until it’s over.”

Also speaking, the chairman of the caretaker committee in the state, Chief Dare Adeleke, lauded the chairman and members of the congress committee, saying their conduct played a significant role in the success of the congress.

He commended members of the party in the state for making sure that the congress was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.