By Dayo Johnson, Akure
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State, yesterday, ruled out plans to form an alliance ahead of Saturday governorship election in the state.
Speculation had been rife that the governorship candidates of the two parties, Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP and Hon Agboola Ajayi of the ZLP, were in talks to merge in a bid to sack incumbent Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
But seperate statements by both political parties laid to rest any possible alliance by them.
The Chairman of the ZLP Media Committee, Eni Akinsola, in a statement in Akure, described the alleged alliance as “ falsehood deliberately being pushed to discourage our members from mass mobilisation and campaign for our flag bearer, Agboola Ajayi”.
On his part, the PDP Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, described it as “a typical tale by the moonlight, often told during election period.”
Akinsola said: “The Zenith Labour Party Campaign Committee, the Campaign Council and members of the Agboola Ajayi/Gboye Adegbenro team wish to call the attention of all to the oft repeated falsehood that the ZLP has collapsed its structure with the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
“We state emphatically that this is utter falsehood deliberately being pushed to discourage our members from mass mobilisation and campaign for our flag bearer, Agboola Ajayi.
“ For the avoidance of doubt, we are not involved and will not be involved in any process of collapsing our structure for any body or party.
“We ask broadcast stations to be wary of being used to deliberately propagate this satanic fallacy.”
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Peretei, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, in his statement said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we will like to declare to the whole world that the PDP has never sat down anywhere with anybody in the ZLP to discuss any merger plan, much less perceive any move or begging to make its governorship candidate step down.
“This is another typical tale by the moonlight, often told during election period.”
Dismissing the claim that Jegede was being asked to step down for the ZLP governorship candidate under the rumoured merger plan, the PDP said it was laughable in its entirety and remained a concocted lie.
“How on earth can the duly elected governorship candidate of the PDP, the biggest political party in Africa, step down for the candidate of a bedroom political party, formed in the heat of political harlotry? God forbid.
“While the PDP welcomes other political parties to join the winning team in dislodging the present locust regime under the APC and install a government of the people, the PDP has never changed its identity and name and will never commit the sacrilege at the Ondo State level”.
