A political group, the Ekiti Peoples Democratic Party Progressives, on Tuesday berated former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, for declaring the Peoples Democratic Party dead in the state.
In a statement signed by its chieftain, Gani Salau, the group urged residents to disregard Fayose’s comments, describing him as a “conditional member” who would soon be shown the way out of the party.
Responding to Fayose’s claim that the PDP was moribund in Ekiti, Salau said the former governor was only expressing frustration after losing control of the party’s structure.
He added that the PDP had been repositioned to win the 2026 governorship election, noting that the party’s primary would hold on Saturday to elect its candidate.
Fayose, in a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Monday, described the PDP as “dead” in the state, insisting that the party’s four governorship aspirants were “fooling themselves.”
He had asked, “Where is the PDP in Ekiti? Where are the party members? Where are PDP meetings being held? The party is totally moribund… There is no hope. The PDP is dead here in Ekiti.”
Fayose further declared support for Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, saying the governor was the preferred choice of the people until 2030.
But the Ekiti PDP Progressives condemned the former governor’s remarks as reckless, noting that the PDP provided the platform through which Fayose became governor twice.
The group asked Fayose to apologise to God for disparaging the party that, according to it, “lifted him and gave his life meaning.”
Salau explained that Fayose’s anger stemmed from his failure to influence the party’s recently concluded congresses.
“He is bitter, having realised that the party is no longer in his custody as before, when he allegedly used it as a bargain to siphon from members,” Salau said.
He described Fayose as “a political orphan who is naked without any reputation, going from pillar to post in the name of survival,” urging the public to ignore his “ranting and vituperation.”
Salau further accused the former governor of turning himself into “an executive beggar” in Oyebanji’s government in exchange for monthly stipends.
He also referenced a reported remark by former Governor Kayode Fayemi, who once described Fayose as “ìrú wa, ògìrì wa” (an all-comer), noting that Fayose did not respond to the comment.
