Fayemi Working Against Tinubu, Ekiti Group Alleges

The suspected feud between Ekiti State Governor, Mr Kayode Fayemi and former Governor of Lagos State, Mr Bola Tinubu, was officially confirmed in a statement by the South-West Agenda for Tinubu 2023 which accused the state governor of working against Tinubu’s political interest.

The group raised the alarm over orchestrated moves, which directly affect Tinubu’s political interest in the state on Saturday.

SWAGA’s National Chairman, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, said the APC, led by its state chairman, Paul Omotosho, had moved the membership register across the 177 wards in the state to the Government House.

SWAGA is a political group within the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, and was launched in Lagos few months ago by Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

It’s a group serving as a warehouse for Tinubu, who’s expected to declare his intention to vie for the party’s presidential ticket in January.

There has been cold war between Fayemi and Tinubu as the former is also rumoured to be interested in running for presidency.

It’s gathered that Fayemi may also stage defection to actualise his aspiration, or even to become a running mate to a northern candidate in the PDP, a development Tinubu is not unaware of.

The latest accusation is coming as preparation is underway to present party members for the February convention of the party before voting to select the presidential flag bearer.

Adeyeye alleged that there is a plot by the party leadership in the state to manipulate membership register to reduce Tinubu’s influence.

“Our findings confirmed that what they are planning to do is to remove members of SWAGA and those loyal to other interested aspirants from our registers to give undeserved victory to their anointed aspirant at the primary,” he alleged in the statement.

Adeyeye directly accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of coercing the party leadership in the state to perpetrate the act “over palpable fever surrounding the possibility of President Muhammadu Buhari signing the direct primary law to mandate application of direct primaries by parties.”

The former minister urged the Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker Committee and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee to caution the State Working Committee, saying, “We appeal to our national leaders to take immediate action on this matter. Election rigging within a party is a fertile ground for crisis of monumental proportion to spring up and escalate into a full scale division.

“We are loyal party members and we want progress for this party; but it will be a great disservice for us to keep quiet in the face of this unsavory act. This will not help our party and national leadership who are working hard to reposition our party,” Adeyeye said.

But responding to the accusation immediately in a statement to journalists, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, said the APC was even “ready to accommodate the worst of enemies to shore up its membership base.”

Describing the allegation as comical, unfounded and spurious, said, “We are not going to deregister anybody.

“Ekiti APC is not planning anything of such and our plan is to register more members and not to reduce the ones we have currently. All our documents are intact and they are in the right places,” he stated.

According to him, “Senator Adeyeye is a lawyer and he ought to know that the issue of direct primary has not been signed into law by the President. It is premature to start raising this baseless allegation now.”

Fayemi has been accused of staging a proxy war targeting Tinubu. He’s the only state governor from the zone on the platform of the APC that is having a running battle with SWAGA and even contemplated banning it.

He is serving out his second term and recently made attempt to mend fences with his predecessor, Mr Ayo Fayose, raising rumours of potential defection.