Posted on: 06:37 Sat, 14 Nov 2015



Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti
State, has reiterated his position to
continue to tell he truth to the
leadership of President Muhammadu
Buhari and his party, the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC), noting
that ”The President is not God, but
only leader of our country for a
period of time.”

Speaking with journalists on Friday,
after the Ekiti State House of
Assembly declared him the ‘leader’
of the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Fayose affirmed that as
a member of the opposition, he was
not expected to be celebrating the
government in power.

“For what?” he exclaimed, adding, ”I
will tell them the truth. Opposition
helps government of the day, helps
Nigerians, to keep them on track.

Opposition helps to check
dictatorship, opposition helps to
check oppression. My being here as
governor, my voice today will
remain by the grace of God.

“I’m not like somebody going
underground for reasons of
harassment; it is only shameful that
the government of the day is after
shadows. You want to be in power,
you are in power; you have charged
virtually all PDP governors to court,
are we saying no APC governor is
corrupt in this country? But for me,
I’m not going into that; I’m not going
to descend into that arena.”

”For everything I say, I say it in good
conscience. When I was criticising
the President before he became
President of Nigeria, they thought I
will be quiet after. Tomorrow, if I
find him wanting, I will tell him. The
President is not God, he’s only leader
of our country for a period of time,”
said Fayose.

Asked if his declaration by the state
House of Assembly as leader of the
opposition was in preparation for a
bigger position, Fayose said: “I am
not interested in anything. Even this
one that I am serving as governor, it
is the will of God for me. There is
nothing to vie for.

“By morals, it can’t be the turn of
Yoruba, if truly we are into rotation
and for me, I’m not vying for
anything. I’m not equally going to
the Senate. Senate is what most
governors will rush to; I’m not going.

I won’t contest for Senate. So
anybody expressing anything for me
is wasting his time because I’m not
going to beg for any office.

“I have gotten to this position
because God wants me there and I’m
not going to be part of any
promotion to position me. No, I still
have three years ahead of me. Who
knows what will happen in three
years time; who knows what will
happen in two years time; who
knows where Nigeria itself would be.

So, we should all strive for the
survival of this country first and
forget about positioning yourself.

“Great leaders don’t talk about their
political placement, they talk about
the country’s placement, where the
country would be at the appropriate
time. But on the issue of what I stand
for and what I say, I have no
apologies and with all due respect, I
have been like this from time
immemorial and I have no apologies
because this country belongs to all of
us.

“This weekend, I will be 55; a lot of
people died when they were 10 years
old. Some died when they were 20,
some when they were 30 or 40 but
I’m 55. If I die today, my children
will still entertain guests at my
burial, you understand.

They will equally leverage on my
achievements for consolation. Gowon
was president of this country at 28
or 29, Obasanjo was president of
Nigeria at 37. Today, I’m still
battling with the office of a governor
and those people we are talking
about are still talking in the public
after being 80 or 90 years of age.”

Source: Vanguard