By SANYA ADEJOKUN
I remember the day I drove a visiting friend to Kayode Fayemi’s house. He was Minister of Solid Minerals (abi?). It was during PMB’s administration.
Buhari’s faction of APC had just defeated Tinubu in the Ondo State governorship election. Fayemi was the arrowhead of Buhari’s faction. PMB had mandated him to go and deliver Akeredolu as governor.
It was my first day of meeting with him and the opportunity has not come again.
Fayemi was still basking in the euphoria of ‘defeating’ Tinubu and putting him in his place. According to him, it was the dawn of a new order. As I sat listening to him smiling and relieving how it all happened, I felt disgusted. I have never met Tinubu up till now but I like him.
I interjected in the discussion and asked him pointedly: do you think what is happening is in the best interest of Yoruba? He looked at me, obviously didn’t like the question but tried to rationalise it. I pointed it out that should Tinubu be permanently diminished at that point there was no other Yoruba person that had the same clout in national politics. I recalled how Bola Ige was murdered and that since then, we’ve only had Tinubu.
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Fayemi later returned to Ekiti as governor until it was preparation time for 2023 elections.
Before then and while still a minister, an event occurred at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja which was the launch of Safe School Initiative. El Rufai was present as Governor of Kaduna Stare, Fayemi was also in attendance. I was angry when I saw Fayemi kneeling down inside the hall while speaking with El Rufai. I didn’t like it at all! I took the pictures. I can’t find them right now.
Back to my story, as the 2023 elections were approaching, there were speculations as to which individuals would show interest in Yorubaland. Remember that Tinubu had been much sidelined in the party with all his known loyalists removed from positions of influence in the APC. Moreover, the man became ill and was flown to France.
Speculations mounted.
By that time, Akeredolu had emerged captain of both southern governors and south west governors. Reporters asked him on an occasion who the South West would be supporting as presidential candidate and without mincing words, the late governor declared that they were waiting for their Capo to signal the direction. Shortly after, a delegation of APC governors from the south west embarked on a voyage to France. The rest is history.
Anyway, good luck to him but what would he say Tinubu did to offend him bearing in mind how he came to national prominence in the first place? Or must they be in government perpetually?
Remember also that Akeredolu had by then fallen out with Buhari over issues of federalism and herdsmen menace in the region. Fayemi obviously continued to be their ally.
It wasn’t therefore, any surprise to me, when after Tinubu obtained nomination form, Fayemi also did same. Many people speculated that Tinubu provided the funds for him and others to obtain forms but I just laughed. While not vouching for others, I was ready to wager that Fayemi was not joking although he was forced to withdraw on the night of the primaries when it became obvious who would win.
So, a few weeks ago when he launched his Leadership Academy, I knew something was in the offing especially when I saw those in attendance.
Today, at the launch of opposition coalition to defeat Tinubu in 2027, he didn’t attend but sent apologies. Just imagine that the coalition is not about Nigeria but about defeating Tinubu! He is part of them. Who are those in the coalition? Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, El Rufai, Kayode Fayemi etc. All of them have held important positions but what are their records of service? How for instance was Ekiti better on May 29, 2023 than it was four years before then? In Anambra, many local governments are just now having the first government built hospitals since creation, Atiku Abubakar presided over privatisation of government assets for almost eight years and we all know the results.
Anyway, good luck to him but what would he say Tinubu did to offend him bearing in mind how he came to national prominence in the first place? Or must they be in government perpetually?
