Fayose, Tom Ikimi loggerheads over PDP lose Gov poll in Ekiti

Newsflash Nigeria StaffJune 22, 2022

2 minutes read

Fayose and Ikimi — Ayo Fayose and Tom Ikimi

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose and Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi have clashed over the recently Ekiti governorship poll that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) performed woefully.

Newsflash Nigeria had reported that the PDP distant in the third position in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election which was held Saturday, June 18.

Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 187,057 votes to defeat its closest rival, the Social Democratic Party, which garnered 82,211 votes and the PDP, which got 67,457 votes in Saturday’s election.

The Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi blamed Fayose for allowing the party to lose the guber election in Ekiti. He called for sanctions and disciplinary actions against Fayose.

He said: “Our problem in Ekiti today has been caused by the past Governor Fayose. He ruined the place before he left office… The build-up to the choice of a candidate in Ekiti was a big struggle.

“All kinds of meetings were held until they had to push Segun Oni who went to SDP that was not known there. There was no campaign council for Ekiti, no rallies there. Nothing happened there.

“The party at the national level must address this matter… if people should misbehave, there should be disciplinary action. If that is not done, then it is a waste of time, we have a big battle ahead.”

But reacting Fayose faulted Ikimi’s claims noting that PDP lost the Ekiti election due to various factors.

In a series of tweets, Fayose said: “Age they say comes with decorum and maturity not only grey hairs.

“It appears that the reverse is the case with Chief Tom Ikimi, who is ranting on matters of Ekiti. Apart from being Chairman of NRC, a party he led to electoral defeat in 1993, has he ever contested or won a state election?

“If this latest vituperation of Ikimi is a fallout of my support for Gov Wike during the PDP presidential primary, then he should match his age with numbers and recall that this same Fayose gave PDP 16/0 over APC in 2014 and defeated Niyi Adebayo, an incumbent governor in 2003.

“He should also be reasonable enough to understand that the same PDP that lost the election in Ekiti on Saturday to various factors, had in the past, won elections and will still win elections in future.

“To this end, if Ikimi is seeking relevance with Atiku, he should do the same more decently. He should allow the sleeping dog to lie and save the PDP from unnecessary shootouts and fireworks at this time as we approach the general elections.”