TVC N. The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Prince Biyi Poroye has claimed that the party’s candidate, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) “is not a card-carrying member of the party.”
He maintained that Jegede was not qualified to occupy any elective position on the platform of the PDP.
Poroye said he was amazed to hear Jegede claim’s that his rival, Jimoh Ibrahim was not a member of the party, adding that “it is like a thief accusing the rightful owner of a property.”
The chairman in a statement signed by the PDP’s Director of Media/Publicity in the State, Yemi Akintomide said Jegede was not qualified to contest the governorship poll having run foul of the constitution of PDP, which made it mandatory for a member to attain two years membership status before vying for any election.
It said: “The truth of the matter is that Jegede joined our party in November 2014 alongside his boss, governor Mimiko when he abandoned his Labour Party (LP) platform, which he used to win the 2007 election and second term in 2012.
“Even at that, Jegede only came into the new party as a technocrat working with the governor as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General and not as a card carrying member of any political party, not even LP.
“And if by now, he likes to join PDP as a member and wants to contest any election, he will apply for a waiver to the state chapter through his ward chairman, then, I as the state chairman reserve the right to grant the waiver or reject it.
“Even the governor himself is yet to beat this record in the history of running the affair of a political party in this state”.
Poroye, however, berated some leaders of the party in the state who he said betrayed their Senatorial Districts by abandoning the struggle.
“They vowed to protect the right of their people on the governorship seat but ‘shamefully’ aligned with governor Mimiko to retain the slot for the Central Senatorial District after spending eight years of two terms.
“That is the reason why people are happy now that Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim is the candidate of PDP and they’re ready to vote for him on November 26 as the next governor of the state in place of a stooge pushed forward to kill the rotational arrangement on ground as if other Districts are slaves to the Central”, he added.
