The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has described the expulsion of former governor Ayo Fayose from the party as “good riddance to bad rubbish,” insisting that the move has strengthened the party rather than weakened it.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti after a stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday, the Australia-based medical doctor accused the former governor of undermining the PDP for years. He said the party’s leadership would no longer tolerate actions that threaten its internal cohesion or its preparations for the 2026 governorship election.
Oluyede stressed that the PDP in Ekiti remains “intact, united, and stronger,” rejecting claims that Fayose’s ouster had created divisions within the party. According to him, the former governor must take responsibility for his alleged anti-party activities over the past three years.
He urged the Tunji Odeyemi-led State Executive Committee to establish a reconciliation panel to address grievances arising from the party’s recently concluded primaries. The panel, he said, should focus on bringing back aggrieved aspirants and re-engaging party members who feel sidelined.
Turning to the PDP’s ongoing internal crisis at the national level, Oluyede dismissed fears that the national disputes would affect the party’s prospects in Ekiti. “Politics is local,” he said. “Parties always have issues anywhere in the world; that’s why they are called political parties. I have no issues with the national crisis. I am not running for national office; all I need is Ekiti people behind me—and that’s what we are going to get.”
He added that Fayose had a choice to return to the fold but warned that the party would not allow him to destabilise its structure. “Nobody builds a house and then brings a bulldozer to destroy it,” he said. “Thank God he hasn’t been able to pull us down. We are building. We are getting stronger. There is no faction in this party.”
In his remarks, Ekiti PDP Chairman Tunji Odeyemi called on party members to intensify mobilisation at ward and unit levels ahead of the 2026 poll. He vowed to work tirelessly to ensure victory for the party’s flagbearer.
