Ekiti State Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose is at it again. This time, the 55 years old Afao born political dynamite is spitting fire again warning that if President Muhammadu Buhari refuses to tread softly and play by the rule of the game, he will soon crash the country’s hard earned democracy.
In an interaction with the media in his Lagos home last Sunday, the second term governor, who alleged that the Military Panel set up was aimed at ousting him from office through the back door, said that such an attempt will spell doom to Buhari’s administration.
Excerpts:
What fuels your suspicion that a plot is being hatched to remove you from office by the present administration?
Recall that after I won the governorship election on June 21, 2014, there was this effort to stop my swearing-in ceremony that generated a lot of controversy, even before and after the elections. There was one story of photo-chronic military rigging. There were four elections after my own in Ekiti, the Presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
They all followed the same pattern even when military men were not enough for the whole country. The elections followed the same pattern and it is good for anybody to complain about the elections but when you are not on ground, you cannot win an election, especially in Ekiti State where I come from. Even after Dr Kayode Fayemi had conceded defeat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) still challenged the result up to the Supreme Court and we still won.
The Supreme Court dealt properly with the issue of impeachment and it did not raise issues of whether the elections were won or not. It talked about the issue of certificate that was raised in 2002 and it equally raised the issue of non-qualification as a result of impeachment. The court dealt with it all and it was a landmark judgment already reported in all law journals. So, ordinarily, I think this should put paid to all these stories.
Also, an online newspaper generated a report of a conversation and I came out to say that I was part of the conversation. I was the complainant in that conversation. If you now set up a military committee to look into the Ekiti and Osun elections that were adjudged to be free and fair, then something is fishing. The Americans and international observers made it very clear that they recommend Ekiti elections for subsequent elections. To my surprise, I heard they set up a panel to look into activities of some military men during the elections in Ekiti and Osun States, that is their choice. To fulfill all righteousness, I sent my Attorney General and Commissioner for Information to give them information that they may not have. For instance they might not be privy to the observers’ report. If the international committee says the elections was free and fair, that the military did well, the military will be on their own if they indict their personnel because of politics.
Where does the Federal Government or President Buhari come in here?
I know that Buhari’s government is after me and I am prepared for them. Ekiti people gave me free mandate to govern them. I am the first Nigerian politician to defeat two incumbent governors at two different attempts. I have records.
When they say I wear a particular type of cloth, I ask, what is their business about that? The people that I govern are very happy with me whether I wear tattered clothes or not. My critics are hypocrites; they do something else in the cover and another one in the open. I want to stand here and defend the interest of the common man without fear or favour. Any attempt to invade my state will not go well with them.
They made attempt to make my swearing in impossible but the people rose against them. They made attempt to ensure I was impeached but the people rose against them. They made attempt to the Supreme Court to stop me, they were stopped. They are at it again, they want to use military panel to achieve their aim. But I can assure you, they will fail.
How would you assess the role of the military in Ekiti governorship election of June last year?
I am not in a position to judge Ekiti election, but we have judgment and opinions about the exercise. The international community, the Americans phoned to congratulate me personally and they wrote. It is on their website where they recommended Ekiti election for all elections in Nigeria, the conduct and the handling by the military. They recommended it for the 2015 elections that we just conducted.
So, if the international community said it went well, if the Americans said it went well, they went further to call me and Kayode Fayemi and they advised him to accept the result of the election. That was why he accepted. If he didn’t have the conviction, he won’t accept. We should be honourable for a while and I am saying it, Ekiti election was the best. Most of the governors today are on a high horse and they find it difficult to climb down. I am there on the ground with my people, I work and walk in their midst, I live with them, I dine with them.
They should do policies that target people directly. Fayemi and APC have total disconnect with the people. They should be honourable enough; it is not every election that they must win. Can’t you see the way they are annulling PDP elections all over the place? The same template with different judgments is what we see. Have you heard of such as the Taraba judgment? We want to see if the APC would not destroy even the Judiciary.
The judiciary needs to rise up. The day I spoke about the Judiciary, they all condemned me. At the end of the day Buhari came and said Judiciary is corrupt. Earlier on, about two months ago, I said they should come clean and tell Nigerians about the situation of economy, Buhari came out and said Nigeria is broke. It is after when I talk they would come back and confirm it to be true. Why would you do two elections and pronounce them as inconclusive? It is an inclusive government we are running now. Most things would be inconclusive very soon as the economy would be inconclusive. Buhari himself is tagged as Baba Go-Slow. Nothing is working; small companies are dying, due to policies that are not working well. Where are we going? Is it all about pursuing political opponents? Watch very well, he was on AIT, we have all the things said about him during the elections. So somebody must go in for it, Dokpesi must go in for that, this National Security Adviser must go in for it.
Facts would soon emerge. We are working gradually to open the can of worms between 1999 and now. Okay, we are going to release a lot of things. They want to cow everybody. That is why they are sponsoring that bill in the National Assembly, to cow the press. I am surprised too, the press are quiet, they can’t talk again, they are afraid.
It appears you take fancy in criticizing President Buhari. What exactly do you have against him and his government?
I have been very critical of this government and I will continue to be critical of any government in Nigeria because democracy is about opposition and the government in power. I have no regrets and I am not sorry about my actions. I did not start the criticism after Buhari’s election but before. I actually told Nigerians not to vote for him. I made advertorials and I am still not sorry for that.
I still maintain my stand because I envisaged this disobedience to court orders and dictatorship. Forget about those who rule Nigeria but we must be ruled by the rule of law. We must appreciate that the hope of the common man is the judiciary and every Nigerian must respect every order issued by the court For instance, we are expecting judgment concerning local government election. I said it earlier that I am going on with that election except and if the court stops it. And I am going to obey! Otherwise, anarchy is going to kill this nation.
Are you not comfortable with Buhari’s presidency?
Listen my brothers. Those who promoted Buhari to be president, at one time or the other, will regret, and most of them are already regretting and suffering in silence now because when you promote a lion and you don’t remember to guide its claws and jaws, one day you will end up in its stomach.
They went to Kaduna, after all submissions, they now want to say the military rigged Ekiti election. They are releasing their report very soon and knowing full well that military report holds no water in law. The Attorney-General would want that report reviewed and approach the Supreme Court to review their position, which is not known in law. I want to remind them, they are on the verge of destroying democracy in Nigeria but calling it corruption war. There is no lion again in Nigeria.
We own this country together. I am Ayo Fayose. I am from Ekiti and I am popularly known as Osokomole. I am telling him again, the consequence of dictatorship is the fall of the dictator. It is either he treads softly and remembers the same Nigerians who gave him the opportunity after several attempts or he faces the consequences.
Source and credit: The Sun