Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose,
has been cautioned against making unguarded statements and spreading falsehood
against Governor Seyi Makinde, over Monday’s South-West PDP zonal congress held
in Osogbo.
The former governor, and a zonal chairmanship candidate, Dr. Eddy Eniola Olafeso, who earlier promised to abide by the outcome of the congress, have been quoted in the media making contrary statements in the past few days.
“We make bold to say that while those who lost the election
at the congress are allowed to rue their loss despite the assurance by Governor
Makinde that there will be no winner or loser, it is expedient that they guard
their utterances and avoid any descent into the gutter.”
A statement by Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to
Governor Makinde, however, admonished Fayose and other leaders on the need to
stand by the truth.
They are also advised to be men of their words and give the
necessary support to the new zonal chairman of the party, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja.
“We implore all stakeholders in the South-West PDP to accept
the outcome of the Osogbo congress in good faith and join hands with other
leaders to build a virile party that is ready to return the glory of the PDP in
the zone,” the statement said.
The statement noted that Governor Makinde had already
regarded the Osogbo zonal congress as a family matter, having declared that
there would be neither a victor nor a vanquished, warning that Fayose and
others should not take that liberty to blackmail him.
Adisa maintained that Governor Makinde remains open to the
idea of collaborating and cooperating with all leaders to rebuild the PDP in
the South-West zone, with a view to turning it into a winning party again.
The statement comes on the heels of press interviews by
former Governor Fayose and Dr. Olafeso, which presented some distorted versions
of the outcome of the Osogbo congress.
The statement added that it was unfair for any stakeholder
to go to a national television to attack Makinde and impugn the integrity of
the peaceful and transparent congress.
According to the governor’s aide, the allegations by Fayose
and especially his reference to Governor Makinde as being ‘quiet but deadly’
were baseless, made in bad faith and should be discountenanced by all
well-meaning individuals.
He also stated that it appears that those raising unfounded
issues against the congress might be smarting from ‘failing in an art they
thought they had perfected.’
The statement added that the orchestrated media blitzkrieg
against Makinde is a misguided and untoward development, adding that those
involved should desist from trying to tarnish the governor’s image.
The governor’s aide wondered why the former Ekiti governor,
Dr. Olafeso and others are trying to impugn the integrity of the peaceful,
transparent and fair congress, by citing developments unconnected with the
congress.
He noted that the claim that some members of a Road
Transport Union followed Governor Makinde to Osogbo was spurious and puerile.
Adisa added that the governor is a peace-loving man and that
he should not be accused of something he knew nothing about.
He stated that any individual could have found his/her way
to Osogbo and claim to have been in the governor’s convoy but that such claim
should not be taken as sacred.
The media aide further wondered why despite the claims by
Fayose and Olafeso, there was not a single case of violence or arrest of anyone
loyal to Governor Makinde at the congress.
Adisa added that if some individuals decided to explore
their freedom of movement and expression by travelling to Osogbo for
sight-seeing and then made a video, which is deemed offensive, Fayose should
have reported to the appropriate authorities instead of seeking to defame the
character of Governor Makinde.
“The South-West PDP zonal congress held in Osogbo has come
and gone and there is no doubt that it will go down the history lane as one of
the most peaceful PDP congresses in the zone.
“The peaceful conduct of that congress, one must say,
followed the body language and actions of the leader of the party in the zone,
Governor Makinde, a man renowned for being a peaceful politician.
“Despite the desperation and provocations from the Fayose
camp, the governor maintained his calm and guided the zone to a peaceful
congress that has now produced worthy leaders for the party.
“The governor made it clear from the outset that the
congress was about rebuilding and strengthening the South-West PDP and he
worked hard to ensure that the party puts its best forward, as, according to
him, whatever happened in that congress had ramifications for the national
polity.
“Governor Makinde had equally described the congress as a
family affair, promising to work with anyone who emerged winner, with the
climax of the Monday, April 12, 2021, event being the eventual acceptance of
Governor Makinde as the leader of the South-West PDP by former Governor of
Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.
“One is, therefore, surprised that less than 48 hours after
that acceptance and the commitment to work with Governor Makinde to build the
party, the former governor is masterminding an assault against Governor Makinde
over the peaceful congress in which the latter made it clear that there would
be ‘no victor, no vanquished’.
“One can see the ungodly pattern Makinde’s critics are
following by trying to build a false narrative around the congress with a view
to rubbishing it.
“It should, therefore, come as a surprise to the public that
the same camp that claimed that it had conceded defeat and was ready to work
with Arapaja, is now engaging in media warfare against the governor.
“In the morning of Wednesday, Mr. Eddy Olafeso was on
national TV to lay the foundation for what would be a sustained effort to
tarnish the image of the governor. By evening, the cycle was completed by Mr.
Fayose, who also appeared on the same medium.
“This has proven that false alarm and deliberate falsehood
are being deployed to rubbish an otherwise peaceful congress.
“While we would not like to join issues with Mr. Fayose and
those who contested against Ambassador Arapaja, over the outcome of the congress,
we would like to caution that no one should attempt to impugn the personality
of Governor Makinde, a peace-loving individual, who has never got anything by
violence.
“The peaceful conduct of his campaign while running for
office as governor of Oyo State is an attestation to this fact.
“Therefore, going on air to say that Governor Makinde is
“quiet but deadly” is not only unstatesmanlike, it is also unguarded, malicious
and wicked”.
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