Posted by Adesina Wahab, Ado-Ekiti on
The Peoples Democratic Party has disowned the former governor of the old Ondo State, Mr. Bamidele Olumilua, saying that he is not one of its members.
The Peoples Democratic Party has disowned the former governor of the old Ondo State, Mr. Bamidele Olumilua, saying that he is not one of its members.
At a meeting of the leaders of the party in Ikere-Ekiti held at the town hall on Monday, the Ward Chairman of PDP, Okeosun, where Olumilua hails from, Mr. Oke Alegbeleye, said the former governor was not a member of the party.
The disclosure by the party ward chairman came against the backdrop of the decision of a faction of the party, which includes Olumilua, to suspend Governor Ayo Fayose, his deputy, Mr. Abiodun Aluko, and the party's state Chairman, Mr. Ropo Adesanya, last week.
Monday's meeting almost resulted into a free-for-all as the Olumilua group, led by Chief Ojo Falegan, and others stood opposite the venue exchanging abusive songs with the other group.
The ding-dong lasted for almost 10 minutes.
But as the two sides were about physically assaulting one another, armed policemen separated and dispersed them.
Alegbeleye was asked by a leader of the party in the area, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Dayo Okondo, to tell the gathering who Olumilua was in the party.
Alegbeleye stated that the former governor never attended any meeting of the party and that there was no record of him participating in any party matter.
A communique at the end of the meeting that was endorsed by 16 PDP chieftains, read that Olumilua had no locus standi to speak on behalf of the party in Ikere or anywhere for that matter.
On the involvement of Falegan, a leader of the party in Ado-Ekiti, the group said he was only trying to get the position of the state chairman at all cost.
The group later adopted Fayose for another term.
Speaking to newsmen, both Falegan and Olumilua said the other group members were only wasting their time.
They noted that they were the authentic leaders and members of the party and that Adesanya had turned his own faction to an appendage of the Ayo Fayose Movement and Foundation, the campaign outfit of the state governor.
They also said their group was growing in leaps and bounds as more people were joining them.
The group noted that a political rally was being planned and that it would show which group was in control of the politics of the state.
It was learnt that both factions have been invited for a meeting in Abuja later this week.
The PUNCH, Tuesday, August 16, 2005