The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has come down heavily on court-reinstated National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, describing him as “a general without soldiers.”
Fayose challenged Sheriff to go for a popularity test with his main contender, Senator Ahmed Markafi, who is also chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee.
Speaking on a television programme, yesterday, the governor said apart from Markafi having more members, the calibre of people posing as Sheriff’s supporters are political nonentities.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose noted that the who-is-who in the PDP are solidly behind Markafi.
“Senator Sheriff is a general without soldiers, not to talk of having a battalion. If he is sure of his stand and strength, let him go for a popularity contest with Senator Markafi.
“Apart from the fact that most of the PDP members are with Markafi, let Nigerians check out the calibre of people supporting them.
“Without any gain saying, Markafi is high above Sheriff. Markafi has the state governors supporting him. The National Assembly caucus are backing Markafi. Former ministers,
former governors, former members of the National Assembly are also in support of Markafi.
“In quantity and quality of support, Markafi is shoulder high above Sheriff, who is only deluding himself with the rent-a-crowd politicians he goes to town with.
“All the organs of the party, including the Board of Trustees, are firmly behind Markafi,” he said.
Reacting to a question on last week’s Court of Appeal judgment that favoured Sheriff in the leadership tussle, Fayose said truth will prevail at the end of the day.
“The court cannot choose our chairman for us. This issue is about democracy and the people. It is the PDP members that can decide who their leaders are. This they have demonstrated in the Port Harcourt convention that was done in accordance with the constitution of the party.
“The party’s leadership is the national caretaker committee headed by Senator Markafi and it shall remain so until we convene our convention to elect our leaders,” he added.
On the possibility of working with Sheriff, Fayose said he would not.
Clarifying his initial support for Sheriff, the governor said he backed out of supporting him when he discovered Sheriff’s ulterior motives.
“I didn’t regret supporting him ab initio, but, when we discovered his discrepancies, I backed out.
“Sheriff is an agent of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is a mole being used by the Federal Government to weaken and destabilize the PDP so that APC will not have any virile opposition,” the governor alleged.
He, however, gave assurances that such tricks will not work in Ekiti State.