… says Fayose is a misfit, political thug
- He’s living under political hallucination – Fayose
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has lashed out at Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State over the frequent political spat between them, and the governor’s virulent criticisms of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Fayemi, who is also a former governor of Ekiti State and Fayose’s predecessor, accused the incumbent governor of trivialising and bringing the number one political office in the state to disrepute through his inappropriate actions and unguarded outbursts on various national issues and developments.
The minister, who, for the first time, broke his silence on his indictment by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, set up by Fayose on how he (Fayemi) managed the finances of the state while he was the governor, was unsparing in his response to the probe. He described his successor as “a misfit, an uncouth political thug and a rabble rouser,” who had failed to learn any lesson from the unfortunate circumstances that led to his being sacked from office and thrown out of the Ekiti Government House in 2006.
Fayemi, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in his Ishan-Ekiti hometown, alleged that Fayose’s “irresponsible behaviour and crass incompetence” had made things more difficult for Ekiti as the governor’s stance had prevented the state from getting more benefits from the Federal Government.
“The trouble with Ayo Fayose is that every time he opens his mouth, he exhibits an unbelievable level of ignorance, which underscores why our state is in the doldrums,” he said.
The minister also accused the Ekiti governor of taking deliberate actions aimed at disgracing and embarrassing him, because he saw him (Fayemi) as a formidable rival who could effectively checkmate his excesses.
He further alleged that Fayose had embarked on “cooking up” a white paper with which he planned to ban him from occupying any public office in future.
Fayemi said, “At the risk of being immodest, everyone in this country knows that I’m an advocate of transparency and accountability in public office. I’d be happy to explain anything that is unclear after leaving over 500-page, painstakingly detailed hand-over note on my stewardship, but not to an administration that has no interest in seeking the truth. Without prompting, I declared my assets publicly when I became Ekiti Governor and did when I left office. There is nothing that I have by way of assets that I cannot defend.
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Governor Fayose has, since May 29, 2015, when President Buhari was sworn into office, been at loggerheads with the Federal administration and opposition political figures across the country. The incumbent Ekiti governor is known for taking on the Buhari administration on most of its policies and decisions.
In his response to Fayemi’s diatribes against him, Fayose challenged the minister to list what he had helped the state to achieve since his appointment.
The Ekiti governor, who spoke with our correspondent through his media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said Fayemi was living under “political hallucination,” adding that the minister had nothing to show for the years he had spent in office as a Federal appointee.
“Ekiti State has solid minerals, what has he done about them? He can continue to live in his mansion of political hallucination. One question he will one day be asked by Ekiti people is: what has he done for the state with his position as Minister of Mines and Steel Development?”
He also said that the minister’s claim about facilitating the building of the Federal Secretariat in the state was nothing but a figment of his imagination, adding that the construction of the building was started by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
He debunked the claim by Fayemi that he facilitated the payment of some funds like the Paris Club Refund and others to Ekiti State.
“So, who facilitated the Paris Club refund for Osun and other states?” he asked rhetorically.
Read Fayemi’s interview here Fayose is a misfit, an uncouth political thug – Fayemi
