SOUTH - WEST PDP FACTION ENDORSES MAKARFI

Leaders of the PDP loyal to the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi faction of the party in the South West geo-political zone yesterday met in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, where they expressed support to challenge the Court of Appeal ruling that declared Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the party.

Some of the party leaders from the geo-political zone at the meeting were the national vice chairman of the party in the South West, Mr Eddy Olafeso, Senator Iyiola Omisore, the publicity secretary of the caretaker committee of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, ex-deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Akerele Bucknor and the speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Kola Oluwawole.

Others were Chief Bode George, ex-governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, deputy governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Olusola Kolapo, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, the chairman of the PDP loyal to Fayose in Ekiti, Mr Gboyega Ofuntuase, his counterpart in Osun, Bayo Faforiji and Engr. Clement Faborede in Ondo.

Governor Ayodele Fayose challenged members of the party to come out of timidity and speak out against alleged intimidation by agents of the APC, and predicted that God will soon move against those that are oppressing the PDP members in the country by declaring their seats vacant.

He described Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff as an illegal occupant of the chairmanship seat of the party, adding that he would continue to back Makarfi.

In his address, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the appeal court judgement will be upturned at the Supreme Court.

Adeyeye said: “Let me allay your fears, the minority judgment is going to be the final judgment at the end of the day. Already we have secured the services of six Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to file all necessary papers at the Supreme Court and I’m assuring you that the case is going to be given accelerated hearing.”

In a 6-point communiqué read by the deputy governor of Ekiti State, the leaders passed a vote of confidence and support for the Sen. Makarfi-led national caretaker committee.

They expressed confidence in Governor Fayose as the leader of the party in the South West as well as the chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum.

Fayose had also in his opening remarks told former president Olusegun  Obasanjo to as a matter of urgency return the N10 million donation he made to his library project, including the interest accrued to the money.

Fayose said in 2015, governors on the platform of the PDP were compelled to donate N10m each to the multi-billion naira project, which he described as the greatest fraud ever.