Breaking: Makinde Humbles Fayose as Arapaja Floors Olafeso, Wins PDP Southwest Seat
- The battle of leadership between Governor Makinde and the ex-governor Fayose may have been finally settled
- Former deputy governor of Oyo state, Taofeek Arajapa, on Monday, April 12, defeated Fayose's candidate, Eddy Olafeso, in the zonal congress of PDP
- Arapaja was backed by Makinde and some leaders of the party to become the national vice-chairman (southwest)
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Taofeek Arapaja, a former deputy governor of Oyo state, has won the southwest chairmanship seat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Nation reports that he was declared winner of the hotly contested poll by the chairman of the congress and Benue state deputy governor, Benson Abounu, on the evening of Monday, April 12.
Source: Twitter
Legit.ng gathered that Arapaja, who belongs to the camp of Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde, polled 343 votes to defeat Eddy Olafeso, who scored 330.
Channels TV also reports that Olafeso is of the camp of former Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose.
Olafeso later conceded defeat and promised to work with Arapaja.
He said:
“The storm is over, there is a new beginning for our party. We have to thank God Almighty that despite odds, there is a new beginning for our party. The time is now. I thank everybody who supported me.”
The new PDP national vice-chairman (southwest), Arapaja thanked Governor Makinde and the ex-governor Fayose about the outcome of the congress.
Arapaja said:
"We will work together and move the party forward. We want to reposition the party. I will work with my brother Olafeso to achieve our aims.”
According to the report, the journey to congress had been bumpy with several failed attempts to reconcile the two factions, adding that it ended with litigation that impeded the conduct of the election in March.
While Makinde rejected Olafeso, who just left the position, Fayose insisted Olafeso must be returned.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that there was pandemonium at the venue of the PDP southwest zonal congress on the evening of Monday, April 12, in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state.
It was reported that the incident occurred around 6:45 pm when some suspected hoodlums advanced towards the gate of the WOCDIF event centre where the congress was taking place in an attempt to invade the premises.
The report said that the former Ekiti governor, Ayodele Fayose, was about to leave the venue when the hoodlums attempted to invade the premises.
Source: Legit.ng
