The animosity between Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, over the control of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South West appears to be getting messier as Fayose issues a fresh warning to the Oyo State governor to tread carefully.
Fayose and Makinde have been at loggerheads over the latter’s role in the Ekiti State PDP crisis as well as the leadership of the party in the South-West region.
The crisis has been basically around who occupies which position as the party’s convention is due to hold this year.
It was learnt that while Fayose was positioning an ex-Ondo State Information Commissioner, Dr Eddy Olafeso, to be the next PDP National Vice Chairman (West), the governor is rooting for somebody from Oyo State to occupy the position.
Olafeso had resigned as the PDP Vice-Chairman in the South-West to contest the Ondo State governorship election. Party chieftains, according to the ex-governor, had agreed to allow Olafeso to be returned as the vice-chairman in the South-West if he failed to clinch the ticket of Ondo State governorship candidate.
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In an exclusive interview with franktalknow.com, the governor said that although it is the norm for a sitting governor to be the leader of the party in a state, “there are leaders and there are leaders.”
He said he deferred to governors before him when he was governor and leader of the party.
Fayose said: “Makinde can’t claim to be my leader. A masquerade cannot flog the people that dress him up, if he does, he would be called by its name. I flagged off Makinde’s campaign and raised his hands as a sign of endorsement when he wanted to become governor. So what has now changed between then and now? Makinde is coming to join us some day. I deferred to governors before me as a mark of courtesy.”
He further added, “Makinde is my godson here, I am his political father. He can’t control me. I am not looking for money from Makinde. I am not a contractor, he can’t impose any decision on us.
“We had a meeting in Makinde’s house and we all agreed on what to do only for him to back down on our agreement. I went to meet him and he assured me he would stick to our agreement. Agreements ought to be honoured and if there is going to be a change, everybody should be carried along. Makinde is not the party; he cannot unilaterally alter an agreement reached by party members.
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“Makinde should tread carefully, we are streetwise in this game; we are veterans. We are ready for peace. I am not looking for favours from the governor. People know that I don’t shy away from what I believe in. I have enough energy to deploy and I don’t shy away from war,” he added.
He said the governor should allow the South-West to retain the structures of the party in the region as it is, noting that the region should stand by the existing zoning policy.
Several attempts to get the reaction of Governor Makinde were unsuccessful as telephone calls to the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, were neither answered nor the calls returned.
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