The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, and the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, have been condemned for shunning the party’s campaign in Ekiti.
Some stakeholders in the party believe their decision caused the governorship candidate of the party, Bisi Kolawole his victory in the just-concluded elections.
A former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi in an interview with Punch said Ayu and Atiku’s absence contributed to PDP’s loss in the election.
Odeyemi said, “Atiku, Ayu and PDP governors left the people of Ekiti, the majority of whom supported PDP in the cold. They looked up to these personalities but they never showed up before or during the poll. 
“The National Campaign Council constituted by Ayu was put in place just four days before the poll whereas Senator Bola Tinubu was in Ekiti with many APC governors, campaigning for Biodun Oyebanji.
“Now that the chances of PDP winning Ekiti have been thrown out by the Ayu-led national leadership, we need to remind Atiku, Ayu and other today’s leaders of the PDP that the fate of our party in the 2023 election now rests on the outcome of Osun State governorship poll.”
The youth leader of PDP in the state, Sunkanmi Oyejide, said the presence of the party’s National Chairman and Atiku would have boosted the chances of the party.
He added, “The party raised a campaign council and the chairman can grace rallies in states, but that does not win elections; it is about reaching out to the grassroots. Also, the national chairman and Atiku cannot be everywhere. The party was busy with how to reconcile the aggrieved members after the convention. Atiku cannot neglect that. It is not about the national chairman not coming to the state. That election was not free and fair.”
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, while speaking on the issue said the campaign council constituted for the election could not go to Ekiti due to paucity of funds.
Ologunagba said, “It is quite true that the party constituted a campaign council that will go for the Ekiti election. However, there were no funds at the time that would take care of them; therefore, they were unable to go.”
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