The Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has expressed his opposition to the emergence of a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, and a former Minister of Education, Ahmadu Ali, as the National Chairman of the party.
Fayose also denied the allegation that he was backing the Acting National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party in 2019 so he could be his running mate.
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday, Fayose equally faulted those criticising him for his inability to pay Ekiti State workers’ salary, saying that the dwindling allocation from the Federation Account has crippled the state.
On his continuous support for former President Goodluck Jonathan, Fayose said: “I am an ardent supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I love him.
“I would continue to defend his cause.
“I would continue to stand up for him because he did well.
“In my opinion, the only thing Jonathan did that I keep saying, that I hardly want to say, is that if I were him, I wouldn’t have contested.
“The people that went to tell Jonathan, that convinced him to run, making him to understand that at 58, when he would be done, how would a young man be 58 and say I’m done with presidency, they were the first set of people who said we have retired from politics.
“They didn’t even allow him to get home before they said that.
“All leaders are coming out today to say they want to rebuild.
“Rebuild what?
“What you destroyed?
“You don’t have capacity to do it.”
Speaking on the upcoming National Convention of the PDP where a National Chairman would be elected, Fayose said: “Chief Bode George is interested in the chairmanship of the party.
“I have a lot of respect for Chief Bode George.
“He’s our leader.
“But when we come to the nitty gritty, we must find out the motive.
“Chief Bode George told me personally that he wanted to be chairman of the party.
“I told him no, I won’t support you.
“With all due respect to the elderly people in this party, they must take the back stage.
“People are tired of seeing the same old faces.
“I have been hearing Ahmadu Ali since 1976, when we sang Ali must go.
“Chief Bode George was governor of Ondo State almost 40 years ago.
“They are our leaders.
“We love them.
“But they should take the back stage.
“He has nothing new to tell Nigerians about ‘rebranding or rebuilding’ since he lost with the former president.
“I wanted Bode Olajumoke to contest for the chairmanship of the opposition party, but he declined.”
Speaking on the permutation that once Sheriff emerges the presidential candidate of the PDP, he will become the vice presidential candidate, Fayose said: “I take exception to that.
“How would he come out and say he wants to be president?
“Where?
“Don’t ask me questions based on packaging of opposition saying Fayose wants to be vice president.
“If I want to be vice president of Nigeria, I would show interest legitimately.
“I’m a young man.
“It’s quite deserving.
“Even people mentioning my name gladdens my heart.
“But let me tell you if Ali Modu Sheriff comes out to do anything on the contrary, in boldness, I will come out and talk against him.
“I’m a very blunt person.
“Sheriff should follow our rules.
“Then you’re talking of presidency, would he go and steal it?
“You want to be the referee, you want to change goal post?
“No, it’s not going to work.
“Expressly, I would not be part of anything illegal.
“How would it do it?
“Mentioning my name that I want to be vice president is cheap blackmail.”
When pressed further on if he is serious about not being vice president, Fayose said: “If an opportunity comes, I won’t run away o.
“You don’t contest for the office of the vice president, you’re chosen.
“You don’t show interest for it.
“My deputy didn’t show me interest, I picked him.
“Atiku (Abubakar) didn’t contest, (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo picked him.”
Fayose said the PDP was bound to regain the Presidency in 2019 based on the failings of the All Progressives Congress.
He said: “Let me explain something to you: it is not what the opposition did before 2015 that made them win, it is what the party in power failed to do.
“When the party in government fails to provide fuel, queues are back, trimming their promises, the exchange rate, average men can no longer do things, businesses are dead, you can’t import anymore, you can’t pay fees of your children, light is becoming unbearable, herdsmen are killing people on a daily basis, things are not working for Nigerians now, we are at the lowest ebb of our lives….
“I was a young man of 24 when (President Muhammadu) Buhari was Head of State, the same attitude between 1984 and 1985 is what is happening today.
“The reason why they took government from him at that time is still playing out today.”
Fayose, however, lauded Buhari for his fight against insurgency.
But he said the insurgents are now being replaced by herdsmen.
He also advised governors not to borrow what they would not offset before leaving office.
He said he is owing four month salaries because of loans which his predecessor and now Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, took.
He said: “At the economic summit that we went to do, it would amaze you that some governors who ran their state aground are principal lecturers there.
“What do you want people like us to say?
“I’m owing four months salaries.
“The last month allocation I got, I got N817 million.
“In the last six months, I have gotten allocation of say N1.3 billion, N1.2 billion, N1.1 billion, N1 billion.
“And this one, I got N817 million.
“My wage bill is N2.6 billion.
“I would have been able to pay.
“And this is without indicting anybody.
“They are deducting about N1.5 billion from my allocation every month as a result of debts owed by my predecessor.
“It would remain there until year 2036.
“I left Ekiti as governor with N10.4 billion.
“I joined to recapitalise Wema (Bank) as Ekiti had shares in Wema.
“All those were sold out, nothing left and I came back to meet debts.
“One of the steps forward is that governors should not borrow beyond their tenure.
“Otherwise most of their successors will have issues.”
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