Crisis deepens in Ekiti PDP as faction ‘takes over’ party secretariat

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti has reportedly taken over the party’s secretariat and sworn in Alaba Agboola as the state’s substantive chairman.

Agboola and some persons who claimed to be members of the state working committee, on Tuesday, stormed the party’s secretariat in the Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti amid tight security.

According to NAN, Agboola was presented with “relevant documents” of the party by Lanre Omolase, identified as the party’s acting chairman. 

Agboola’s appointment was earlier announced on Monday in a statement signed by Omolase and Funmi Ogun, the party’s secretary.

According to the statement, the appointment was among the resolutions at a state executive committee (SEC) meeting held in Ado Ekiti.

The development comes after Deji Ogunsakin, a former deputy governorship candidate of the party, also claimed to be the “authentic” state chairman of the party.

Ogunsakin claimed to have met all the party’s constitutional requirements on the numerical strength of supporting members.

Speaking on Tuesday after the swearing-in, Omolase described Agboola as the “authentic chairman” backed by the party’s guidelines.

“The constitution of the party has given us the power to appoint a substantive chairman and members of that committee are 68 in number,” he said.

“And since the exercise is coming under my leadership as the acting chairman, I only need 26 members of that committee to confirm the appointment of engineer Agboola. 

“We are not closing our eyes at what a group of people are doing and I want to tell you straight away in the presence of the press that they lack constitutional power; they lack the zeal; they lack the morality to carry out such an action.”

Agboola, in his acceptance speech, said it is time for party members to work together as one big family.

Reacting to the development at a media briefing in Ado-Ekiti, Ogunsakin described the swearing-in of Agboola as “illegal and null”.

He said those involved in the process had no power, according to the party constitution, to carry out such a function.

Ogunsakin said he was awaiting his swearing-in by the national headquarters of the party, before he would formally take over.

Raphael Adeyanju, the party’s publicity secretary in Ekiti, in a statement, also urged the public to ignore the Agboola-led faction.

According to him, the entire process of appointment of the state party chairman is exclusively the responsibility of the SEC, which comprises major stakeholders of the party, numbering about 60.

“The meeting of the SEC is ongoing at present to ratify the nomination of the central senatorial district, thus satisfying section 47(6) of the party constitution,” Adeyanju said.

“The name of the substantive state chairman of PDP, as confirmed by SEC, will be announced shortly.

“Please ignore all other communications that are not from the official spokesperson of the party.”