Tensions are escalating within the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State as factions loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and former Minister Taminu Turaki dispute leadership control and the recognition of the party’s governorship candidate.
The Turaki-led faction claims to be the legitimate PDP leadership in the state and has presented Wole Oluyede as its governorship candidate for the June 20 election. The Wike-backed group, however, has rejected Oluyede’s claim, insisting that no candidate has been formally endorsed by the party’s recognised structure in Ekiti.
At a press briefing, Turaki faction State Chairman Tunji Odeyemi described the Wike group’s recent state congress as “unconstitutional and not binding,” citing a Federal High Court ruling that affirmed Oluyede as the PDP governorship candidate and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise him. Odeyemi accused the Wike faction of creating distractions and undermining the party’s preparations for the upcoming election.
The Wike-backed faction, led by State Chairman Lanre Omolase, countered that the Court of Appeal ruling recognising the Abduraham Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee settled the factional disputes. The group maintained that the Turaki faction’s State Working Committee was improperly constituted and described its claimed congress as a “charade.”
In a joint statement, Omolase and Publicity Secretary Femi Phillips stressed that Oluyede’s candidacy has not been formally presented, recognised, or processed through the party’s duly constituted organs in Ekiti State. They warned that individual ambitions must follow party rules, and no aspirant is above the constitution of the PDP.
The unfolding conflict highlights ongoing struggles over party legitimacy and control in the run-up to Ekiti State’s gubernatorial election.
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