Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has dropped a bombshell, insisting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in trouble.
Fayose said: “I have to tell you the hard truth. And I want to say to you, nobody in this country today has ever come to confront me to say, ‘Fayose, you said this 10 years ago and you’re saying it again today.’ Nobody. PDP is in trouble. The trouble has gone bad, and they are in a comatose.”
“When has a state high court become an appellate court for a federal high court? The Oyo State High Court does not have jurisdiction.”
“If you open the doors, INEC will start taking all judgments from state high courts. The judge went ahead and compromised the matter and granted an ex parte order.”
“When fish decays from the body, you can salvage it. But when the fish decays from the head, you cannot salvage it. Currently, the PDP has decayed from the head.”
“Despite the internal turmoil, I will not leave the PDP. I had always been transparent about my political stance.”
“Three governors have left. Another one will leave very soon. When I come back here, I will remind you.”
It is interesting to know that PDP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis that has split the party into two factions. Tension heightened after the party announced plans to hold a national convention.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, had before now restrained the PDP from proceeding with the convention, ruling that the party failed to follow due process, including proper notification to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, a week later, Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court issued an ex parte order allowing the party to go ahead with the same convention in Ibadan.
The contradictory rulings sparked outrage among stakeholders, prompting a petition to the National Judicial Council accusing Justice Akintola of judicial misconduct and undermining an existing Federal High Court order.
The legal tussle has further intensified the PDP’s internal divisions, with one faction led by the suspended National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the other by the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
The conflicting court orders have deepened the party’s internal crisis, highlighting the ongoing struggle for control within the PDP.