The Ekiti State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Jide Awe, has said that it is not true that the recent declaration by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to contest the forthcoming governorship election has divided the party in
the state.
Awe said that since the constitutions of the country and that of the party allowed any interested person to contest election, Fayemi had the right to vie for the governorship ticket of the APC in the state.
Nobody has the right to condemn anyone. Fayemi has the right to contest
He assured that the party in the state would provide a level playing field for all aspirants interested in seeking the party’s ticket for the July governorship election.
Awe stressed that it would amount to illegality for the party to seek to stop anyone aspiring to fly the flag of the APC in the forthcoming Ekiti governorship poll.
“I don’t believe that Fayemi’s declaration has amounted to an issue in our party. Nobody has the right to condemn anyone. Fayemi has the right to contest, according to the constitution. I believe it shouldn’t cause any disagreement within the party. The field is open for everybody to go, meet the delegates and the executive members of the party. So, I think it is probably out of law to stop any other person; he has the right to go there,” he said.
The party chairman also assured that the APC had been waxing stronger, better and now in good stead to take back the state come July 26.
Awe added, “We are preparing very well and the preparations won’t affect our preparations for the primary. It will strengthen our preparations. Moreover, we had a meeting with all the aspirants under the auspices of the South West caucus of the
party.
“The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the South West constituent and all the members were in attendance. So far, forms have been obtained, and the screening will commence as from Monday (today) and it will last about three days. So we are doing all our best to ensure that the primary is
credible.”
The Ekiti State APC chairman, however, described the recent decision by the Court of Appeal to freeze the bank accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose as nemesis catching up with the governor.
He said that contrary to claims that the court’s judgment was a ploy to weaken the state’s ruling party ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state, the time had come for the governor to pay for his alleged misdeeds.
The Ekiti APC chairman added that the matter was a personal issue that had nothing to do with the ruling PDP in the state.
“I think it is just nemesis time for him (Fayose). This matter started some months ago. It is now the appeal court that has ordered his account frozen. And for me, this is not an issue that has anything to do with the party. It is a personal account and Fayose is not contesting again. So, how will the case weaken the party? It is his personal case to answer with the court, and it doesn’t have to do with the coming election, since he is not running,” he said.
