PDP Crisis: Hoodlums Attack Sheriff’s Faction Secretariat In Ekiti
The secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) loyal to Ali Modu Sheriff in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, was yesterday attacked by suspected political thugs , who vandalized the office and destroyed the flags erected at its frontage.
The group’s Deputy Chairman, Engr. Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi, while addressing newsmen on the matter, accused Barr Gboyega Oguntuase-led faction, known to be loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose and Ahmed Makarfi, as the brain behind the attack on the office located at Nova road, Adebayo area along Ado-Iworoko road in the capital city.
The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti , presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo had in January 24, 2017, declared the group, chaired by Chief Williams Ajayi, as authentic before the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution of the judgement .
The two factions were also ordered by the appellate court to maintain a status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Ogunbiyi said: “We left the office on Tuesday at about 6pm and only to return today around 7am and saw the flgs erected brought down. The assailants scaled the fence and destroyed all the flags and the louvre
blades of our office.
“They even made spirited efforts to gain entry into the office, but they could not. As we speak now, our lives are being threatened and we want the public to be aware of this.
“ However, we had an inkling that our office will be attacked with the threat issued by one of the Oguntuase’s execute to us when we met recently at the court of appeal that our office will be attacked.
“Last week also, Governor Fayose went to a nearby spot within the vicinity of the office and distributed rice to the people. We are sure that the Oguntuase’s people are behind this and we need a prompt action from the security agencies”.
Ogunbiyi added that the faction’s lawyer, Niran Owoseeni has taken up the matter and that a formal letter is already being prepared to be taken to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe , for proper action.
Reacting to the allegation, the Publicity Secretary of Oguntuwase-led-PDP in the state, Jackson Adebayo, said the allegation was part of the orchestrated plan by the PDP renegades to continue to tarnish the image of the party in the state.
Adebayo, who reacted on the telephone, said the authentic PDP in Ekiti is working round the clock to sensitise the people of the state on the need to remain loyal and vote for the PDP when elections come, while
Ajayi and his co-travelers are making frivolous allegations.
“I saw what they are calling the press for and I concluded that they are still in shock how they got to that sorry pass. There were storm and erosion, which affected their building and they are claiming that
reasonable people would leave their jobs to be digging their fences and destroying blocks.
“They should be pitied rather than responded to because there’s no such thing as what they are alleging,” Adebayo said.
