PDP upholds selection of Fayose as Ekiti guber candidate

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has upheld the election of Ayodele Fayose, former Ekiti state governor, as the party’s candidate for the state’s governorship election slated for June, this year.

Fayose emerged the party’s standard-bearer in a controversial PDP primary conducted in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, last Saturday.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the party approved the result of the primaries and upheld the nomination of Fayose after considering a comprehensive report on the exercise.

 “The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has received the report of the Ekiti State Governorship Primary Electoral Committee. After thorough consideration of the report, the NWC approved the result and upheld the nomination of Ayo Fayose as the candidate of the PDP for the June 2014 governorship election in Ekiti state.

“The NWC commended the committee for the conduct of a peaceful and transparent exercise and urged all PDP members in the state, including the other aspirants, to support the candidate of the party to ensure a successful outing at the governorship election,” the release stated.

Fayose, who was impeached as the state governor over alleged financial impropriety and official recklessness, had insisted on the primaries despite the clamour by other 13 aspirants for a consensus candidate.

He eventually won the primary with a wide margin, even as many of his co-aspirants insisted that his candidacy would make the party lose the election.