Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Outgoing Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has claimed that former Director General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, lobbied him on two occasions to support President Muhammadu Buhari-led government in order for the Peoples Democratic Party to retain control of the state, but he declined on both occasions.
The governor spoke in Abuja on Sunday night at a reception organised for him by his colleagues in the PDP Governors’ Forum.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, Monday, quoted Fayose as saying that it was for that reason that Daura coordinated the security onslaught against him and his supporters during the July 14 governorship election in the state.
According to him, “If I had agreed to the proposal and operated like a bat that has the features of an animal and a bird, they would not have attempted to muzzle me. I am not one of those that would be silenced or who will go and take cover under his wife’s bed because some people want to play God.
‘’I cannot deceive you, I can fight but rather than fight the PDP, I will deploy my energy to fight those holding our country hostage and retarding its growth by their incapability. The time is up for them and they know this.”
On the fallout from the PDP presidential primary, Fayose urged the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secobdus, and others to give the necessary respect and recognition to state governors, adding that the governors are institutions on their own and they must be accorded the necessary respect and recognition.
‘’When there is a need to get these governors to contribute money to meet some needs, they will contribute. But when there is a need to let them express their views and preferences, they will be accused of trying to impose, that must stop,” he said.
Fayose expressed confidence that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi would be elected president and vice president of Nigeria next year, urging the party to unite, forge a common front to oust Buhari.
He added that the South-West people would vote the PDP in the coming general elections and thanked the organisers of the event and those who graced it for honouring him.
At the event, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Emmanuel Udom, described Fayose as a courageous and dependable man saying Fayose could defend a cause even at the cost of his life.
The chairman of the occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, said nobody who served his people the way Fayose did would be put to shame and noted that Fayose’s supporters shedding tears while he was departing Ekiti were actually praying for him.
Mr. Peter Obi, in his remarks, said the country needed people like Fayose who would speak the truth to power.
Other speakers such as the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, and former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, poured encomiums on Fayose and prayed that God blesses his future endeavours.
