Ekiti Gov Election: I Chose A Dubious Person As Running Mate – ADP Gov Candidate

By Ayodele Oni

As cloud over the status of the running mate to the candidate of Action Democratic Party (ADP), in the June governorship election in Ekiti State, Mr Idowu Afuye, gathers momentum, the candidate of the party, Mrs Kemi Elebute-Halle, said it was unfortunate a dubious person was picked as deputy.

The ADP Governorship candidate’s remark followed a claim by Afuye during the week that he has defected to the All Progressive Congress, (APC).

Afuye had cited lack of internal democracy in ADP and high-handedness of the candidate as reasons for dumping the party.

But Mrs Elebute – Halle described the defection of her running mate to another party as a mere speculation as she explained that the deputy has not formally informed her of such decision.

Mrs. Halle made this known while addressing journalists at her situation office in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital at the weekend.

“I want to believe that those who pushed him to that would have been able to understand electoral act, that the moment a candidate has been published on INEC list, you don’t quit.

“I think the political party which might have pushed him would have learnt much more than that. I should have believed that they were well thought and have political experiences but unfortunately, if candidate would quit a party, it has to be done through procedures and protocols.

“I Iearnt he said a lot of things but I want to leave him to his opinion. I am well brought up.”

Erelu Elebute claimed that Afuye has apologized to her by saying that he was being misconstrued by the media.

“I have done my best in this political race. If APC is threatened, they should meet me. I put them under a lot of tension. I did all that I have done because I don’t joke with success. I am an aggressive achiever.”

Halle debunked rumour that she would decamp to another party any moment from now saying such might have been mischievously conceived as she said some of the political parties have been approaching her including the APC.

Describing her running mate as a person of questionable character, Elebute said questions had been asked as to why she picked him as her deputy.

“I called him, I said my deputy governor, somebody said you’re a serial blackmailer but I don’t listen to gossip. I told him my deputy governor, you’re first a human being, I would see that ten people would say the same thing about you.

“I went to the market at Ode-Ekiti, where he hails from, he collected several flyers and posters from me, there was no poster anywhere, and Ode people said they don’t know what my party is all about.

“If you see any poster in Ode-Ekiti, I did it myself. The bike men collected money and they did if for me after he had collected hundreds of posters from me including money to do same, he never did.”

At a point, the ADP governorship candidate said, she confronted Afuye that, he had never brought anybody to the party where he would be deputy governor.

“I took him to be my running mate without minding his frivolities in spite of several allegations against him  believing that there’s no one that doesn’t have his or her past.

On the claim that he left ADP for APC with 20,000 of his followers, Elebute said, Afuye only brought himself to the party and that he drove himself out.

The State Chairman of ADP in Ekiti,  Kunle Abegunde said, the only meeting Afuye attended with the Executive Members of the party was late in the evening of a particular day.

“He wanted to talk then and I said I don’t know you as the deputy governor of our party. He apologized. I am the Chairman of the party. If he had come to the party with 20, 000 people, I would have known.”

Afuye, was a former coordinator of Ekiti South agenda, a group clamouring for a Governorship candidate from Southern Senatorial district of the State.

He once placed a curse on any politician from the area that accept to be running mate to any candidate from other parts of the state.

Meanwhile, after his purported defection, Afuye had raised alarm claiming that his life was in danger and called for police protection.