From: WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti
A prominent pan-Ekiti socio-cultural group, the E11, has resurfaced in Ekiti State.
Recall that E11 group nearly prevented the inauguration of Governor Ayodele Fayose in 2014 with a legal case that challenged the governor’s qualification on grounds of alleged impeachment in 2006.
The E 11, which had its first leader as Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, wjo is now President Mohammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on political affairs, on Monday, reshuffled its leadership with the election of Chief Kola Akosile as its new Chairman to replace Mr. Femi Ajiniran who succeeded Ojuduabout 10 years ago.
The group is reputed to have produced two G
governors for the state namely, Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi, who current Minister of Mines and Steel and also federal lawmaker, Bamidele Opeyemi who is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The election of group’s new officers took place during its meeting held, on Monday, at the South Western Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Akosile disclosed that his emergence was to move the group forward, noting though the group’s constitution allowed maximum of two terms of two years. He however said that exigency of the time made Mr. Ajiniran to spend more than four years in office. He also described his election as a child of necessity.
Others elected at the meeting were: Mrs. Yetunde Fosudo as Vice Chairman, OSKA Seyi Aiyeleso as General Secretary, Mr. Tunde Dada as Social Secretary, Mr. Dele Morakinyo as Public Relations Officers and Mr. Seyi Oluboba as Treasurer
The group also inaugurated a Political Committee headed by Rt. Hon Orisalade with Chief Yomi Aluko, Prince Diran Adeleke, and Mrs. Funke Owoseni as members.
Messrs Tunji Olatunde and Seyi Oluboba were elected into the economic committee while Women Empowerment Committee would be headed by Mrs. Funke Owoseni with Mrs. Yetunde Fosudo and Mrs. Toyin Ajakaiye as members. Youth Committee has OSKA Aiyeleso and Prince Aladesanmi as members
It would be recalled that a release recently signed by Orisalade dissociated the group from a story making the rounds in the media that E-11 was behind the gubernatorial ambition of Sen. Babafemi Ojudu.
Chief Orisalade stated that: “Though Sen. Ojudu is a front line member of the Association and qualified as per his ambition, he had never informed the Association, at any General Meeting of his Gubernatorial ambition, not to talk of his adoption, promotion and backing by the Association”.
Meanwhile Ojudu, who was quoted in a recent interview that “no decampee” would be allowed to flag the Governorship ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti, has described the media report about him as a deliberate attempt of the Opposition to malign him.
However, Orisalade insisted that the “E-11, as a group, never, at any time, called upon, urged, promoted or adopted Senator Babafemi Ojudu as its Candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial Election coming up in Ekiti State in 2018”.
He stated that as of now, the group had not equally adopted any of the candidates already out in the race as no such agenda had been tabled at meetings.
The E-11 Political Committee Chairman equally stated that all the statements credited to the former Chairman of the Association, Mr Femi Ajiniran on the purported adoption of Ojudu as E-11 candidate in the coming poll “should be disregarded and taken as his personal views, devoid of the group’s consent and consensus.”