Fayose attacks Obasanjo over Jonathan font size Print Email 29.Nov.2014 | DISQUS_COMMENTS | Oluwole Ige - Osogbo and Leon Usigbe - Ile Ife My regrets over House Speakership —Jonathan Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, on Friday, took a swipe at ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo over what he termed his recent scathing comments on the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. Fayose contended that “Obasanjo lacked the moral right to describe Jonathan’s government as corrupt and performing below average,” advising Jonathan against currying the favour of Obasanjo, who he said would not desist from disparaging him and his administration. Speaking at a forum organised by a group, Concerned Yoruba Elders, held inside the Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Fayose alleged that Obasanjo ran a corrupt and inept administration, recalling an alleged inducement of senators with N50 million each for his botched third term ambition. “Even if you (Jonathan) give your blood, strength and life to former President Obasanjo, he would not support you. We know him more than you know him. He never wanted an independent-minded person,” he said. While attributing the refusal of Jonathan to toe the path of unconstitutionality over Boko Haram insurgency in the North East as reasons for Obasanjo’s negative comments, Fayose asserted that “he’s fighting you because you refused to level Borno and Yobe states like he (Obasanjo) did with Odi community.” “He won’t like that. And, Your Excellency, the more you try to curry (his favour) Obasanjo, the more he will continue to despise you. “If you continue to curry him, we are not going to curry him. He doesn’t like people that give him respect “I plead with Your Excellency. Your second term has been concluded in heaven. Fear not. “When Obasanjo accuses people and government of the day of corruption, what happened to the N50 million shared during the third term agenda? “I earned less than N300,000 as governor of Ekiti State during my first coming. Your Excellency, the donation of N10 million to Obasanjo Library, what do you call that? That is corruption! “Go and look for the Code of Conduct, the forms filled by President Obasanjo and his wealth today. We knew when he came back from prison. We knew the situation, we knew his wealth when he came out,” Fayose said. He observed that Jonathan’s government is the government of the people, adding, “I am telling you that you have won 2015 election.” Fayose urged Jonathan to forget the noise coming from the opposition, noting, “that is their style.” He recalled that he had defeated the same people in Ekiti State, saying, therefore, that “they should limit all these noise to Lagos, not Ekiti.” Fayose further said: “If you don’t speak each time Obasanjo speaks in the papers, we must reply him. When people talk and we are addressing you here, that is not the issue. If he talks again, we will give him an answer. “You are not supposed to reply him. You are a complete gentleman. Decorum is part of the business. We are telling you again, the moment he says the next one, we will engage him. “This is not a country where, after serving your own tenure, what you cannot take, you are giving it to others.” South west loss of Reps speaker haunts me — Jonathan Meanwhile, President Jonathan on Friday regretted his inability to push through the election of a south west member as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in line with the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that he is still haunted by the incident. Speaking at Yoruba Unity Summit organised by the Yoruba Unity Forum at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, he blamed the failure of the zone to get the post on the individual interests of some politicians in the south west. Jonathan spoke of the need to ensure equity in appointments encouraged by the zoning formula of the PDP, saying that the leaders of the party had decided to be resolute on zoning in the future. He said: “I always say it, one of the problems I faced in the National Assembly is that I felt the right thing should be done because our party, the PDP, has a formula. “We have six geo-political zones in the country and when the president emerges from one of the geo-political zones, the vice president emerges from another geo- political zone, the rest core offices, the senate president, the speaker, secretary to federal government, the chairman of the party must come from different geo- political zones. “The idea is that, whenever we are distributing board positions and some of these appointments, these people sit to take decisions. “Whenever we are appointing ministers, all these people sit to take decisions. In that case, we want all the geo- political zones to be in the inner caucus that take critical decisions. “The last time, it was difficult for me because I insisted that the south west must get the speaker. Of course, I couldn’t go through with it because some of us within the south west didn’t want it based on some personal reasons. “I am still suffering from that till today. That is one of the reasons that the leaders said, this time round, we must work collectively so that whatever position is zoned to the south west, we should get that position. People should not rob it from us.” Stressing his belief in the unity of the country, he appreciated the efforts of the Yoruba people alongside others, adding that government will continue to do more for the south west. Jonathan observed that over 50 per cent of the nation’s wealth is in the south west, arguing that infrastructure such as airports, rail link and power must therefore be provided to enable the area to continue to provide opportunity for the people. In appreciating the contributions of the south west, he noted that the occasion was an opportunity for him to salute the collective spirit of the Yoruba people that has seen them play critical roles at every important juncture in the history of the country. Jonathan recalled that it was mainly the agitation of the south west that led to the convening of the National Conference and assured that the recommendations of the conference will be implemented. He added: “I have said it and I will say it again. We will implement the recommendations. “The political environment now is not too conducive for certain good things to be raised because of partisan interest. People are ready to even kill. “I wouldn’t want to play with that document that our great men and women, our egg heads took time to form. I believe the whole context will be taken by government. So, we will surely implement it,” he said. He observed that the gathering was “not just about the unity of the descendants of Oduduwa, but also a clarion call on Nigerians to embark on a path to seek accommodation and build consensus.” Jonathan challenged all to come together in harmony and articulate differences with a view to arriving at a formidable national consensus to give the nation a more robust vision and energy to confront the rest of the world. He said with love, understanding and respect for one another, there is no obstacle Nigeria cannot surmount, saying “with unity, we can go to the moon.” The President assured the south west that the Federal Government will never leave the region behind in development and called for their cooperation. Dignitaries at the forum included the convener, Chief Olabode George; Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; Chief Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, former transport minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; the chairman, board of the African Newspaper of Nigeria (ANN), Chief (Mrs) H.I.D Awolowo, who was represented by Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran; Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Minister for Police Affairs, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, Chief Jimoh Ibrahim and Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Honourable Mulikat Adeola Akande. Others were former Minister for Youth Development, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi; Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, ex-minister for education, Professor Tunde Adeniran; Chief Oluwole Aina, chairman of the PDP in Osun State, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; chairman of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr. Jide Adeniji; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejuyigbe, the Orangun of Oke Ila Orangun, Oba Adedokun Abolarin; former governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel, among others. Earlier, President Jonathan had been to the palace of Oba Sijuwade, on a courtesy call. He was met by the Ooni, some other monarchs, palace chiefs, the first daughter of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran; stalwarts of People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-Senators Ayo Arise, Iyiola Omisore, among others. President Jonathan, dressed in cream-coloured agbada with a wine colour cap to match, arrived the palace at 9.46 am. He left together with Oba Sijuwade to the Obafemi Awolowo University’s complex at 10.20a.m.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 07:23:12 +0000
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