Ekiti PDP is Dead, Gov Aspirants Fooling Themselves — Fayose Declares in Blunt Statement
By: Abudu Olalekan
Ayodele Fayose. Remember him? The former governor of Ekiti State, you know, the PDP chieftain who always has something to say. Well, he just dropped a bombshell. Utterly dramatic, really. Fayose is on record saying the PDP in Ekiti? It’s dead. Kaput. And those folks scrambling for the governorship ticket? He reckons they’re just fooling themselves silly. Ouch. Talk about a wake-up call.
It was a Monday down in Ado Ekiti. He was chatting with some reporters. Just a casual chat, right? Wrong. Fayose didn’t pull any punches. He looked around, probably, and just said, “Look, where is the PDP structure in this state?” He asked it like a genuine, bewildered question. “Where are the members? Seriously, where are the meetings happening?” That’s how he put it. Totally moribund, he claimed. Even throwing shade at the national chapter while he was at it.
See, when you’ve been in the game as long as Fayose, you think you know things. He’s got that insider view, see. He brought some of these current aspirants up, apparently. So when he says they are self-deceiving, it hits a little different. Self-deception, he warned, is the worst thing in life, especially for a PDP member right now in Ekiti. He’s got a point, maybe. If you can’t see the writing on the wall, you’re toast.
But here’s the twist. Even while burying his own party, Fayose threw shade in the opposite direction too. He’s lavishing praise on the sitting Governor, Biodun Oyebanji of the APC. Yeah, the opposition guy. Fayose says Oyebanji is doing good work. Really good work. He won’t apologize for it either. He made it crystal clear: “I ain’t joining the APC. Never.” But he won’t trash what’s working just because he’s supposed to be on the other side. That’s a complicated stance, ain’t it?
He went further. Oyebanji, according to Fayose, is the man Ekiti wants until 2030. Full stop. He supports it. Standing up for the truth, that’s his brand, he insists. So, the incumbent looks set for a landslide victory come June 20, 2026. Big talk from the former governor.
Now, the election date is penciled in: June 20, 2026. Oyebanji is already the APC pick, naturally. Over on the PDP side? Chaos, according to Fayose. You got four people duking it out for the ticket: Dr. Wole Oluyede, Mrs. Funmi Ogun, Mr. Funso Ayeni, and Peter Obafemi. They are all vying, trying to prove Fayose wrong, I suppose.
Naturally, the Ekiti PDP Chairman, a Mr. Tunji Odeyemi, wasn’t having any of this. He fired back. Called Fayose’s remarks “unfortunate.” Imagine, a former governor making noise about the party that twice made him governor. Odeyemi basically said, “Who does he think he is? He ain’t God.” The party, he promised, is going to surprise him.
Odeyemi defended the aspirants too. Said they are credible folks. The primary election? It’ll be fair. Transparent. They’ll pick someone strong enough to take on Oyebanji. And the PDP will win next year. A strong counter-narrative, but does it have the Fayose bite? Probably not.
Right now, the main players seem to be the PDP, the APC, and the ADC. It’s shaping up to be a real showdown, even if one of the old guard says one side has already conceded defeat before the fight even started. It’s politics in Ekiti. Always a soap opera, innit? You watch this space. Reportersroom will keep you updated.
