A former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, has criticised ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi over his remarks on members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who have recently aligned with the ruling party in the state.
Fayemi, while addressing party stakeholders in Iyin Ekiti on Friday, had reaffirmed his commitment to the APC and Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s re-election bid. He dismissed the relevance of the PDP in the state’s political landscape, saying:
“I heard there is a party called PDP in this state, but you can see how they are running after us. I saw images from the event you (Oyebanji) had in Abuja and I saw some people claiming they are PDP but have come to associate with us. So, in a sense, Ekiti has become a one-party system… The governor may be doing his tiwa n tiwa (inclusive politics), iru wa, ogiri wa (all-comers), but I am an APC person.”
Reacting, Awe described Fayemi’s comments as “derogatory” to PDP members who had shown sympathy or openly identified with the APC, stressing that such attitudes were counterproductive.
“If such a statement should come from a former governor of the state in the same party, it’s unfortunate. Politics is a war you win with people, not with weapons. If people are coming to our party voluntarily, it means they have seen something good in us. You can’t drive them away. It’s better to have them with us. That will be better for the state.”
Awe cautioned against a return to what he called the “terrible political intrigues” that characterised Ekiti politics between 2007 and 2010, warning that divisive politics could derail the progress currently being made under Oyebanji.
“In Yoruba parlance, iru (locust beans) and ogiri (fermented melon) are condiments that, when mixed, produce a delicious meal. We will mix iru and ogiri together and make good soup.”
The former APC chairman also downplayed internal contestations ahead of the 2026 governorship primary, describing them as normal.
“There should be struggle within the party, but once the primaries are done, everybody will come together. Our expectation is that come October 27, we are winning the primary, and by June 20, 2026, Oyebanji will continue his work as governor,” he said.
Awe emphasised the need to welcome opposition sympathisers rather than repel them.
“If Oyebanji’s style is to reach out to the opposition and silence them, it’s a political tactic. But it is not for us within to use derogatory words on those who love us. Some of us take exception to that,” he concluded.