- ‘Those of us who worked to make him governor worked to remove him’
Former senator and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Ayo Arise, has explained how he and other stalwarts of the ruling party in Ekiti State ensured that Governor Ayo Fayose did not impose his successor on the people of the state.
Arise argued that contrary to claims and insinuations that the Ekiti governorship election results were manipulated in favour of the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the party’s standard bearer won at the poll, fair and square.
Fayose has overstayed his relevance in Ekiti; that is a fact. And those of us who worked to put him there have said enough is enough and we worked to remove him. However narrow the margin is, everybody held on to his locality to deliver and we delivered
He said that some APC chieftains in the state, many of who were Fayose’s former allies in the Peoples Democratic Party, and worked for his re-election in 2014, but later fell out with him, worked against the victory of his successor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka, in the recent governorship election in Ekiti State.
The former lawmaker told The Point in an exclusive interview in Abuja that he and other APC chieftains in the state, who had an axe to grind with Fayose, resolved to throw their weight behind the APC standard bearer, Fayemi, to ensure that Fayose did not return to the Ekiti Government House by imposing his deputy and successor, Eleka, as the next governor of the state.
He maintained that since Fayose had overstayed his welcome and relevance in the politics of Ekiti, he and the others, who worked for his return in 2014, felt they had had enough of the incumbent governor.
Arise said that this was why, during the last governorship election in the state, each of the aggrieved APC chieftains and former allies of the incumbent governor ensured that the PDP candidate, Eleka, did not win in their different localities throughout the state.
He boasted that the efforts made by him and other APC chieftains, who were not happy with Fayose, truncated his alleged plan to have his protégé as his successor and next governor of Ekiti State.
Arise said, “Now, I want to say there have been several elections since Buhari became the President. I am sure you remembere Anambra election took place. The government at the centre is APC; the government in Anambra is APGA. So, there has been no manipulation of election since Buhari became the President of this country. And security was equally provided in Anambra. So, there is no
relationship.
“Fayose has overstayed his relevance in Ekiti; that is a fact. And those of us who worked to put him there have said enough is enough and we worked to remove him. However narrow the margin is, everybody held on to his locality to deliver and we delivered. So, when you now look at Ado, where he had a home run the other time, it became impossible for him to have a home run this time. Don’t forget, Senator Babafemi Ojudu is from Ado, he has his own strong presence there. Senator Raji Rasaki is from Ado, she worked for Fayose in 2014 election. In this last one, she worked against him.
“Don’t forget that the deputy to Fayemi is from Ado. He is the former chairman of Ado Local Government. He is a high chief in Ado and he is running a school in Ado, where many of the children, many Ado youths, attend. Those who could not afford the school fees were given free education. So by far, Bisi Egbeyemi is very popular; a known name. All these factors, combined, ensured that Fayose had no home run. Even though he is from that local government area; he is not from that town, but from a small village very close to Ado. He can’t boast of 5,000 votes where he comes from. When people don’t realise all these facts, they begin to say somebody has manipulated the election. How could Fayose have won this election?”
The former lawmaker also spoke on sundry issues, including the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the conferment of the highest national honours award on the late winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola.
Read the excerpts of the full interview with Senator Arise on pages 20 and 21.
