TheCable

Bisi Kolawole, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the June 18 Ekiti governorship election, says he was not imposed on the party by Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of the state.

On Wednesday, Kolawole, a former Ekiti PDP chairman, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate, edging out Segun Oni, an ex-governor governor, and Kolapo Olusola, a former deputy governor.

Prior to the election, Kolawole had resigned his position as Ekiti PDP chairman to contest the governorship election.

On May 4, 2021, Fayose endorsed Kolawole as his preferred candidate for the governorship election.

Speaking on Thursday on if Fayose used his influence in Ekiti PDP to impose him as the governorship candidate, Kolawole, in a telephone interview on Channels Television, insisted that the former governor only endorsed him.

“We conducted primaries, beamed for everybody to see. If that is an imposition, well, I think everybody will want to be imposed,” he said.

“It was a free and fair process conducted by a very credible and fair person — his excellency, governor Udom of Akwa Ibom, and some other very important, credible members of the committee and they conducted it free and fair.

“Everybody knew the process was very free. The result was made very transparent. I was not imposed. He (referring to Fayose) endorsed me.

“Endorsement means support. He doesn’t have the power to impose me on everybody. The national working committee was involved in what we did.

“They set up a committee. The committee came to conduct a free and fair election, which was seen by everybody all over the world.

“The counting, accreditation and voting process — everything was made open. I don’t think you can call that imposition. I was endorsed; I was supported.”