I worked against Atiku, Fayose reveals

By Emmy Joe

Former Ekiti state governor and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, has revealed that he worked against the success of his party at the February presidential election.

Making this disclosure while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Sunday, the former governor revealed that he had no regrets working against his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar at the presidential election.

Fayose said he wasn’t worried about being expelled from the party for participating in anti-party activities. Even as he vowed not to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

“I am still a member of the PDP except the PDP says ‘Fayose, we don’t want you anymore.’ Then they have set me free of the yoke. But in all sincerity, it is a party that I believe in, subscribe to, and want to stay forever. I will never join the APC,” he said.

“I have never hidden in my position on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Let me remind you very quickly. I never knew Asiwaju will be president of Nigeria and there was no time in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 that I have not celebrated his birthday on the pages of newspapers as the then-governor of Ekiti state. One of the messages I passed across at that time was that party politics notwithstanding, he will remain our leader in the West for long. Even when the APC was playing games, I stood up to remind President Buhari that Asiwaju was largely instrumental in his becoming president of Nigeria. As a Yoruba man, he deserves to be accorded his respect. I want to remind you again that in 2021, I said all the shenanigans against him by those behind him will be defeated.”

“I never knew he will be president of Nigeria. When he got back from the knee surgery treatment that he went for, I openly, during the day, went all the way to Bourdillon to welcome him back. I counted the costs before I took those actions. If Tinubu is not an example to identify with, somebody like me would not identify with him.

“Let me also tell you that till today, I have not materially or by position benefited from Asiwaju. I was the first Nigerian despite being a member of the PDP to say that it is the turn of the South and I have no regrets making that statement.”