A Non-Governmental Organisation in Ekiti State, the Ekiti Justice Group, has kicked against the governorship ambition of former Governor of the state, Mr. Ayo Fayose, saying his desire to return to office is a very tall dream.
The group, in a statement on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Dr. Tunji Oluwasanmi, said it was important to respond to Fayose’s claim that he was the only credible candidate that could ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, emerged victorious in the June 21 governorship election in the state.
It said, “Fielding Fayose by the PDP will mean another four years of suffering for Ekiti people”.
It added that people of the state, especially traditional rulers, would rather throw their weight behind the incumbent, Governor Kayode Fayemi, rather than supporting Fayose’s ambition.
The statement reads, “While we concede that it is the right of political parties to pick candidates of their choice, we wish to remind the PDP that the killing of five students of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti on March 15, 2004; the murder of Tunde Omojola on May 28, 2005; the detention of the Attah of Aiyede-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Orishagbemi (late); the murder of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola on August 14, 2006; and most importantly, the looting of Ekiti State treasury via the phony poultry project on which Fayose is still being tried, are still fresh in the minds of Ekiti people.
“It was on the basis of these negative past records, especially the war he waged on the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe that Fayose openly campaigned against during the 2011 senatorial election by Ado-Ekiti high chiefs and elite in the town. Surely, the people will do the same if he is presented as candidate of any political party”.
However, in reaction to the group’s opposition to his governorship bid, Fayose simply said, “If I am not an issue in Ekiti politics, they should just ignore me now? Why are they worried?
“You see, they are paid agents. I can’t join issues with them. Politics is a game of reality, not about propaganda and destruction of names. The facts are on the field not in the newspapers”, he said.
