By Kayode Fasua
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has denied a festering rumour that it had traded off its choice of governorship candidates in both Edo
and Ondo states, as a way of resolving the leadership tussle between the party chairman, Ahmed Makarfi, and his rival, Ali Modu Sheriff.
In the last two weeks, Akure, the Ondo State capital, has been abuzz with the rumour that Edo governorship candidature had been ceded to the Makarfi leadership while Ondo’s was given to the Sheriff faction.
But the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in a text response to the lingering speculationon Monday, said there was no truth in the allegation, insisting that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) remained the PDP’s governorship candidates in Edo and Ondo States respectively.
Expressing surprise on how such a rumour gained grounds, Adeyeye stated: “It is totally false. There is no trade off of any kind. Such a rumour should be totally ignored.”
He noted that while reconciliatory moves are on to strenghen the party, trading off the mandate of the governorship candidates of the party, namely, Ize-Iyamu (Edo) and Jegede (Ondo) was not considered, much less become a condition.
Adeyeye expressed the conviction that the party’s candidates would come tops in the governorship elections, stressing that voters in Ondo and Edo states have always had confidence in the ability of the PDP to deliver on its promises, “having seen for themselves the antics of those who promised and failed.”
He added that the PDP is one strong, big family and that the party has an effective mechanism for resolving any internal dispute.
Already, both Makarfi and Sheriff had met and come up with a communique tending towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two party leaders.