Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has denied resigning from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fayose had appeared on ARISE TV to share insider knowledge of behind-the-scene issues that contributed to PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s loss.
The ex-governor ascribed Atiku’s ill-success at the poll to the former vice president’s refusal to yield to the demand of the aggrieved five governors elected on the party platform.
He said, what the Nyesom Wike-led G-5 asked of the candidate was to accept to spend a term in presidency and made it public before the election.
On that occasion, the Ekiti-born politician said something to the effect that he has left active politics, saying, “From today, I stay off PDP. Let me put it this way, in party politics. Because there are certain facts. I am 62. I say it here from today. I step aside because I must be talking like a leader in this country.”
But in a present statement he personally authored, and made available to newsmen, Fayose put the record straight, retracting his comment about resigning from the main opposition.
He wrote, “I am still a bonafide member of the PDP. I only said I stepped aside because I need to speak the truth to power without the fear of my view being tainted by party colouration.
“Resigning from a political party has procedures and same will be followed if I strongly find the need to leave the party. It is important that we have somebody that can say the truth without wearing any party toga. I am a member of the PDP, I am a member of the PDP National Executive Committee, a member of the party caucus, member of the Board of Trustees based on my position as a former chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. It’s a lifetime membership. But Nigeria is bigger than any party.”
