By Maxwell Adeleye 

I am not a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) nor any political party whatsoever anywhere in the world but as a Professional Political Reporter and an Observer of the political terrain in Ekiti State where I hail from, I am forced to pen this piece of advice to Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, former Governor of Ekiti State on his ongoing face-off with some young gladiators within his party ecosystem in Ekiti-State.

Mr. Ayodele Fayose is currently engaged in a battle of attrition with his close allies and political lieutenants who are demanding that he should step aside as the leader of the leading opposition party in Ekiti State on moral ground having led the party to a distant third position in the just concluded Governorship election in the state.

Fayose’s men and allies are unhappy with their boss on the management of the just concluded governorship election and the affairs of their party in general. 

Having witnessed the heaviest gale of defection ever in the history of any political parlance in Ekiti State, Fayose’s men are of the opinion that the first option that could make reconciliation easier with aggrieved members of the party is for their principal to step aside because at the moment, Fayose decides who get what, when and how in the republic of PDP in Ekiti State. 

These men, who are regarded as the brainboxes of Fayose’s political dynasty, are also displeased with the utterances of their boss aftermath the Governorship election. To these young turfs, the outburst of Ayo Fayose against Atiku Abubakar, the PDP 2023 Presidential candidate without consulting them is an abnormality and an extermination of their personal dignity and interest. 

As far as these men are concerned, Fayose should step aside so that all the aggrieved members of their party could come together and forge a strong alliance ahead of 2023 presidential election which they hope their political party could win and restore them back to reckoning. 

Ayo Fayose, a political warrior, has been resisting his men and fighting back by forming an alliance with his old foes such as Senator Biodun Olujimi, Chief Yinka Akerele, Mr. Lateef Ajijola amongst others. In a move targeted at breaking the rank of his estranged men, Ayo Fayose conceded the chairmanship position of the party vacated by Hon. Bisi Kolawole, the candidate of PDP in the recent Governorship election to the camp of Senator Biodun Olujimi while Kolawole in a silent move unknown to many of his allies, is currently scheming to return to the office he vacated to run for Governorship seat.

As a political reporter, my opinion is that Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose should step aside, even by default, as the face of Ekiti PDP and give a room for genuine reconciliation that could make those who defected to Social Democratic Party (SDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) prior to the last election to return. These aggrieved men left not for anything but for Ayo Fayose and they won’t return as far as Fayose remains the face of the party.

The argument of the young men demanding for Fayose’s hibernation is that as a two-term Governor, he has accumulated sufficient wealth and influence to himself and have nothing to lose any more if PDP remain as opposition forever in Ekiti State. They claimed that Fayose is not open to truthful reconciliation which, according to them, is dangerous for their political future. 

Morally, no one should have appealed to Fayose before convening a gathering to announce his “momentary” step aside after the disgraceful performance of his political party in June 18th Governorship election in Ekiti State. Regardless of the uncouth and impudent methods some of his boys have adopted to articulate their grievances thus far, the truth is that principle of universal morality favours them.

In 2012, Veteran politician Bob Rae, then 63, stepped aside as the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party after the Liberals suffered their worst loss since Canada became a country in 1867. Bob Rae willingly stepped aside without being prompted. 

Also in year 2016, then British Prime Minister, David Cameron resigned his position and also quit the British Parliament, bringing an abrupt end to his six-year premiership, after the British public took the momentous decision to reject his entreaties and turn their back on the European Union. Just a year after he clinched a surprise majority in the general election, a visibly emotional Cameron, standing outside Number 10 Downing Street alongside his wife, Samantha, said: “The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered.”

In 2010, after he led his party to a scandalous defeat, Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister of Britain, clearing the way for David Cameron to form a new government with the Liberal Democrats that would return the Conservatives to power for the first time since 1997. 

Right home in Nigeria, Mr. Ayo Fayose led the opposition that ousted Adamu Mu’azu, a former Governor of Bauchi State from office as National Chairman of his own PDP because Mu’azu led the party to its most disastrous outing since 1998.

Therefore, my position is that what Ayo Fayose’s men are demanding for is expedient and morally justified. Boris Johnson recently resigned as British Prime Minister after over 30 of his Ministers quit in protest against his leadership style. What happened to Boris Johnson has happened in Ekiti to Ayo Fayose and I am of the opinion that to sustain his honour, Fayose should step aside and allow time to determine who is right or wrong between him and those against him. 

Maxwell Adeleye sent this piece from Lagos. [email protected]