Landlord issues PDP quit notice from secretariat

The internal crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is taking a toll on its finances as its landlord has issued the party a quit notice over inability to pay rent

Besides, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has disconnected power supply to the party’s secretariat over unpaid electricity bill, which sources put at several thousands of naira.

Some party leaders who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, expressed regret at the turn of twist and internal crisis that is shaking the foundation of the party.

The landlord, Chief Ropo Adesanya, who let out the house to the party, was a two-term chairman of the PDP, but he has defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC) because of unresolved crisis between him and Governor Ayodele Fayose.

A source said that the party had at the expiration of the rent issued a cheque of N1.5m to Adesanya to pay the debt before Adesanya decamped to the APC, which a government official was alleged to have instructed the bank not to honour despite the fact that the party has over N17m in the account.

Speaking on the situation on Tuesday, factional Chairman, Tunde Olatunde, disclosed that the situation degenerated into that level because “Fayose refused to fund the party”.

Olatunde chairs a faction which has 14 State Working Committee (SWC) which forms majority of the state party executive committee described the situation as “very embarrassing.”

Olatunde explained that Adesanya has since forwarded a petition to the Commissioner of Police on the alleged issuance of a dud cheque, which he (Olatunde) claimed was “stopped for no just cause”.

He said the cash could not be drawn from the party’s account at an old generation bank despite the fact that the account has about N17 million.

Olatunde said: “The truth of the matter is that our party has been ejected for not paying our rent to our landlord, Chief Ropo Adesanya, eight-year party chairman and the man that produced Mr. Governor in his first term.

“We are owing the man N1.5 million and we issued him a cheque drawn in our account in UBA that has about N17 million at the time we were using it but mysteriously, the cheque was stopped for no just cause.