The Senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu, has faulted Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose’s position on the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Kashamu, in an advertorial in The Nation newspaper, said the Ekiti State governor was plotting to kill the party before defecting.
The senator said: “I had always known that Fayose has an agenda and alerted our leaders and elders to his agenda of either having his way or destroying the PDP before he leaves for God knows where.
“Now that he is letting the cat out of the bag, I can only say that Fayose has exposed himself. He has shown that he is the real agent of destabilisation. He is one of those who want to kill the PDP before he defects.
“However, it should be clearly pointed out that PDP was not founded because of Fayose or any of us. Whether anyone leaves or not, the party will remain. It will not die. The party is like a barracks, where soldiers come and go, and the barracks remains.
“The truth of the matter is that the leadership crisis in the PDP was designed and orchestrated because of the inordinate ambition of some people, especially those who are exiting office next year.”
Kashamu picked holes in the reconciliation move of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I am honestly shocked and surprised that the former President could preside over a meeting, where the judgment of the Court of Appeal was being disregarded as irrelevant. This cannot be the face of a party that is desirous of seeking a break with the past.
“Going by the accounts of what I have heard happened at the meeting, I think it was a needless gathering that has reopened healing wounds and further exacerbated the crisis. I say this because any PDP meeting that fails to recognise what our laws and the courts have said about the leadership crisis is on a wrong footing and premise, and it will breed more chaos and confusion such as we have seen.
“Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is the National Chairman of the PDP as of today based on the Court of Appeal judgment and everybody is bound to abide by that whether we like it or not.
“You cannot call a shareholders or Board of Directors meeting and say the chairman of the board cannot participate or preside over the meeting. Worst still, some persons said Senator Sheriff must not be recognised as such even when an appellate court has established that Senator Sheriff is the party’s national chairman,” he said.
He said Sheriff did not disrespect Jonathan by walking out of the meeting.
“Senator Sheriff was out of the country when he was called by the former President and told of the meeting and he had to cut short his trip to attend the meeting.
“That is a sign of respect. Even when he arrived in the country, I understand that he went straight to the former President and they met over the modalities for the meeting, and it was agreed that four of them will address the meeting. That is, former President Jonathan, Senator Sheriff, the BoT Chairman and then Senator Makarfi.
“However, when he got there, he was not recognised as the party’s national chairman whereas others were recognised with their titles, including those who were no longer in office.”