The temptation to believe that Ayodele Fayose was now also among the prophets of God was a serious temptation last Friday at the rally ground at the centre of Ado Ekiti. On the rostrum was Fayose attired in a flowery T-shirt upon a pair of jeans trousers reeling out bible verses or the Word of God as his defence against the goliaths he claimed were ranged against him.
His fight of faith which was intermittently laced with political histrionics was enthusiastically lapped up by the audience that consisted mostly of the working class. His audience bussed in from various parts of the town to Ojumose Roundabout in the centre of town hung on to every word of the prophet who shouted and railed as a prayer warrior in combat against a host of darkness set to entrap him into hell. Fayose fought with the word which has lately become his sword in the increasingly trenchant political warfare directed against him from various quarters.
The day before, his antagonists mainly from the local opposition in the All Progressives Congress, APC and some elements of civil society had organised a rally to demand the governor’s resignation on account of what they claimed as his involvement in the arms gate scandal.
The response from Fayose, a governor who has proved himself above any other governor in Nigeria history, to be a street organiser, was swift the following day. His supporters mainly the lower cadre of society and artisans in their thousands descended on the streets and converged at Ojumose Roundabout at the centre of the town to hear their prophet’s response. He was unsparing of his enemies last Friday on the rostrum even as he painted himself and his two advents in 2003 and 2014 with messianic connotations.
It was not easy to puncture his claims especially given the extraordinary coincidence in his return to power eight years to the date of his forced exit from power in 2006. As the rally dovetailed into a walkabout town, with Fayose in the company of tailors, commercial drivers, road transport workers, commercial motorcyclists and different categories of artisans moved round Ado-Ekiti, the state capital in seeming demonstration of peoples’ power. Following the walkabout, Fayose sat down later in the night for an interview in which he opened up.
He spoke on every issue raised by the journalists with the notable exception of his one time political partner, Senator Buruji Kashamu on who he insisted he would not utter a word. Excerpts: By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor What informed your position against President Buhari? Incidentally, this year I will be 56. I am a grown Nigerian when President Buhari was president of this country.
I was well grown enough to know what he represented. The people that voted largely for President Buhari were under 40 years old because they dominated the social media and Bible says “My people die because of lack of knowledge. He became president 1984, and you will want to recall that anybody that would say I am 40 years at the time President Buhari contested was only nine years (when he first ruled). Fighting corruption Nine years doesn’t know what Nigeria represents and that was why they voted for him because you must know who you are giving your life to – who you are giving your future to. You must know you are not taking your life to Golgotha.
So, as a man who knew President Buhari – then I was in Ibadan. I knew the total misrule of 1984 to 1985 – how the military suffered Nigerians, how a lot of leaders were clamped in chains using decree 2. So, President Buhari is living true to type.
If you look at the way he is governing Nigeria today, it is the same way he did before; by his appointments, by his taking away the rights of the people, by doing things without recourse to due process. Fighting corruption is a great thing. It is good, but anything that does not represent the truth is simply corruption.
You’re oppressing some people now either because they are not from your region or because you had issues with them before; it is a mission for vengeance. So, let me round it up, there is nothing personal between President Buhari and myself. Let us look at the APC, most of the people they were bashing in those days, but when they get to APC they become saints.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/brought-buhari-ll-end-stomach-gov-fayose/
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