A former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, has faulted ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi over his comments on members of the Peoples Democratic Party who have been associating with the ruling party in the state.
Fayemi, speaking at an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Iyin Ekiti on Friday where he reaffirmed his commitment to the APC and Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s re-election bid, had dismissed the relevance of the PDP in Ekiti politics.
The former governor said, “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 that they are PDP but have come to associate with us.
“So, in a sense, Ekiti has become a one-party system. Yes, it is. But ‘Omo mo baba e’ (a child knows its father)… Let’s be clear, the governor may be doing his tiwa n tiwa (inclusive politics), Iru wa, ogiri wa (all-comers), but I am an APC person.”
Awe, however, described Fayemi’s words as derogatory to PDP members who had developed sympathy for or openly identified with the APC.
He told The PUNCH, “If such a statement (iru wa, ogiri wa) should come from a former governor of the state in the same party, it’s unfortunate. As one of the leaders of this party, I take exception to it. 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. They are human beings who appreciate our programmes. You can’t drive them away. It’s better to have them with us, and if you do that, it will be better for the state.”
Awe warned against returning to what he called the “terrible political intrigues” of 2007 to 2010 in the state.
“We will not do that again. We want peace. If PDP people are coming to us, it is better for us. You should not use derogatory language on those who love us. We were in Abuja last week, they followed us there. Are they not sincere enough?
“Somebody (Oyebanji) has come in as a gentleman and started straightening the roots of all those things that had been bastardised. A bit of development is coming to Ekiti. It is now you want intrigue?
“In Yoruba parlance, iru (locust beans) and ogiri (fermented melon) are condiments that, when mixed, produce a sumptuous meal. We will mix iru and ogiri together and make good soup,” Awe said.
He added that opposition within the APC ahead of the 2026 primaries was natural, describing it as “the struggle for power.”
“Our expectation in APC is that come October 27 we are winning the primary, and by June 20, 2026, we are winning the state back and Oyebanji will continue with his work. There should be struggle within the party, but once the primaries are done, everybody will come together,” he said.
Awe further stressed that members should not push away sympathisers from the opposition.
“If Oyebanji’s style is to reach out to 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 it,” he said.
