While Olujimi claimed that her group should have been inaugurated on January 3rd, and "suddenly everything changed and Fayose tinkered with the list", Fayose said: "They need me more than I need them, because in my own case, I have got nothing to lose as I am not contesting any elective position. We will ask our people to vote against these betrayers".
Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti State and Biodun Olujimi, the Senate Minority Leader, have inaugurated parallel campaign councils for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In his capacity as the PDP South West Coordinator, Fayose inaugurated the council members in Adebayo area of Ado Ekiti. Meanwhile, Olujimi, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, in Ajilosun in Ado Ekiti, inaugurated a parallel council. She also accused Fayose of manipulating the list for pecuniary reasons.
According to NAN, Olujimi wrote a petition to Uche Secondus, the PDP Chairman, accusing Fayose of hijacking the council. She said Fayose's move was contrary to the list agreed by party stakeholders, and urged the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to disband and reconstitute the council.
She also asked the party Chairman to compel Fayose to adhere strictly to the resolutions reached by stakeholders on the composition of the council at a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado-Ekiti on December 28, 2018 to forestall crisis in the party ahead of the polls.
In her remarks during the inauguration of the campaign council, Olujimi said: "Those appointed have started work, they have even written letters to the state government for the release of the stadium.
"They were supposed to have been inaugurated on January 3rd. Suddenly everything changed and Fayose tinkered with the list. Why we are here is that we are saying that we cannot shift the goal post in the middle of the game. We are standing by the original list."
However, speaking on Olujimi's effort, which he referred to as an exercise in futility, Fayose said: “They need me more than I need them, because in my own case, I have got nothing to lose as I am not contesting any elective position. We will ask our people to vote against these betrayers."
Also commenting on Olujimi's action, Professor Kolapo Ishola, Chairman of the campaign council for Fayose’s camp and former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, said: “There is no alternative campaign council except this one. Any other campaign council where my name appears outside the one inaugurated by our leader, the Governor, is illegal."
Both inaugurations were well-attended by chieftains of the party.