A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has called on the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to forget his desire to fly the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 presidential election.
Also, the Chairman, PDP National Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi, has said supporters of some aspirants for the national chairmanship of the party are already violating the peace pact signed by their principals.
Adeniran, who is running for the position of the national chairman of the party, spoke with journalists after submitting his nomination form at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.
The former minister is believed not to be enjoying the support of his state governor in his desire to become the PDP national chairman at its national convention slated for December nine in Abuja.
Fayose, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, was the first to declare his presidential ambition.
But the party has ceded its presidential ticket to the North and its national chairman to the South.
Adeniran was asked by reporters if he was enjoying the support of his governor in his desire to lead the party.
He replied that he was enjoying the support of God, adding that Fayose had felt that his presidential ambition might be difficult to achieve if he (Fayose) supported him.
Speaking while receiving Adeniran in his office, Makarfi called on chairmanship aspirants to caution their supporters.
Makarfi said it was wrong for supporters of some aspirants to cast aspersions on the national leadership of the party for its refusal to micro-zone the office of the national chairman.
He said the supporters were already breaching the peace accord signed by the seven out of the eight national chairmanship aspirants on Tuesday.
He said, “One of the key elements of the peace accord we discussed yesterday (Tuesday ) was the acknowledgement that the only thing the party has zoned in respect of national issues is the presidency to the North and chairmanship to the South.
“And in the peace accord which we have signed, you categorically stated that by the South, you meant all the states in the South and by the North all the states in the North.
“If aspirants themselves come to a conclusion, develop a document and sign it, it is very unfair to hear accusations that the caretaker committee has refused to do some things that we have no powers to do.
“We also did say that wherever there is a political arrangement whether in the North or the South to push for consensus, we will acknowledge it.
“But we also said that we have no power to force delegates but it can form a basis for campaign.
“Some statements have come from an individual who claims to support or promote your course. To continue to issue press releases condemning the caretaker committee which is completely contrary to the document you signed, you people aspirants should be able to caution such a person if you mean well for this party.
“Such individual has done everything possible to make us compromise by going to the media to say that we have compromised with somebody else. Left for such individuals, the caretaker committee should not be in place.