Ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that his group decided to overlook issue of over-voting and some other issues during the PDP congress for the unity and interest of the party.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s Southwest Zonal Congress was held in Osogbo on Monday, where former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja emerged winner as the chairman for the zone.
This is as he also lived up to his words of ensuring peace reigns irrespective of where the electoral pendulum swings. The former governor congratulated the winner of the election.
According to Mr. Fayose, the group took the decision in the interest of unity of the party.
Recall that in the election, Governor Seyi Makinde’s candidate, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja narrowly defeated Fayose’s candidate, Dr. Eddy Olafeso to become the PDP Chairman in the Southwest zone.
Arapaja polled 343 votes to defeat Olafeso, who got 330 votes.
But Fayose, in series of tweets late Monday night congratulated Arapaja on his emergence as the Southwest Zonal Chairman of the PDP.
“Like I said in my speech at the beginning of the congress that we should win together and we have indeed won together.
“Whatever may be our reservations on the issue of over-voting; we have chosen to look at the larger picture, which is the PDP.
“We must therefore use our energy and resources to rebuild the party.
“Arapaja’s 343 and Olafeso’s 330 votes, has simply shown strength on the two sides, this should be explored by the party, going forward.
“I thank the National Working Committee (NWC) for helping to bring this congress behind us.”
At the congress, Fayose and Makinde settled their rift and reconciled, with Fayose accepting Makinde as his Southwest leader.
In his remarks, Makinde described the congress as a family affair and also an attempt to re-position the PDP in the South West.
Makinde said “This election is a family affair and also an attempt to reposition the PDP in the South-West and the outcome will have implications for our party at the national level. We don’t want to defeat ourselves but rather we want to defeat the opposition.
“As the only PDP governor in the South West, I will work with anyone who emerges as the chairman in the zone and I will work with the team to re-position our party,’’ Makinde said.
