Politics

Ekiti 2018: Tinubu, Akande rise to rescue of Fayemi

Published

6 years ago

June 27, 2018

Olu Emmanuel

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As APC candidate faces court case

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in conjunction with Chief Bisi Akande, another APC leader in the South West, have stood in defense and support of Dr. Kayode Fayemi, APC governorship candidate in the July 14, 2018, governorship election in Ekiti State.

Fayemi is facing a shocking turn of event after the APC primary election in the state which he won and thereafter, dialogued for the cooperation of the defeated aspirants, but now faces a suit in the court which is linked to one of the defeated aspirants, Chief Segun Oni.

Tinubu and Akande chided Oni for the legal action, reiterating that they resolved to support Fayemi after series of consultations, persuasion, reconciliation, consensus building, leading to understanding among APC stakeholders in the South West. They recalled their interventionist meetings in Abuja, Lagos and Ekiti with all APC gubernatorial aspirants in the Ekiti election, making the aspirants reaching a consensus to support whoever emerges from the primary election.

Tinubu and other South West APC leaders, therefore, ordered the aggrieved party stakeholders who initiated the legal suit in court to withdraw the case immediately, “if they are within our party and not agents of PDP”.

Segun Oni was also ordered to publicly to dissociate himself, condemn the legal suit and participate actively in the APC campaign.

The APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the newly-elected APC Deputy National Chairman, South, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; and the party’s former National Vice Chairman, South-West, Chief Pius Akinyelure, in a joint statement titled: “We Stand Behind Kayode Fayemi,” declared: “The Ekiti Governorship Election slated for July 14, 2018, is barely three weeks away and we all are committed to working for the total victory of the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

“The decision to support Kayode Fayemi was reached through a combination of persuasion, reconciliation, consensus building and understanding on the part of all the stakeholders. We led several intervention meetings that held in Abuja, Lagos and Ekiti with all the APC Ekiti gubernatorial aspirants where we resolved to support whoever emerges from the May primaries.

“We have stood behind Kayode Fayemi’s candidacy since he won the governorship primaries and when we all gathered in Ekiti for the Mega Rally on June 19; it was an emphatic declaration of support for his candidacy. Again, on the night of June 19, we, as leaders, met with all stakeholders including all former aspirants and commended them for not defecting from the party. They all emphasized their commitment and suggested that Kayode Fayemi run an effective and inclusive campaign that will ultimately lead to an all-inclusive government.

“We have been consistent in our position working to ensure victory for the APC candidate, we are therefore surprised to find out through media channels about plans to challenge Kayode Fayemi’s candidacy on spurious grounds.

“Furthermore, it is worrisome that a court action against Kayode Fayemi and our party is alleged by media reports to be instituted by Chief Segun Oni, which from our investigations is being sponsored by some unknown persons.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we the undersigned leaders remain solidly behind the candidacy of Kayode Fayemi knowing full well he has fulfilled all necessary requirements for the election as the candidate of our party.

“We have forged a common front even as we are irrevocably committed to our party’s victory come July 14, 2018. Nothing should be allowed to undermine our party’s victory in the upcoming election.

“We therefore demand that the sponsors of the court action withdraw their case immediately if they are within our party and not agents of PDP. We also request that Segun Oni should also come out publicly to dissociate himself from and condemn the case and play active role in the APC campaign.”