Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has vowed to lead a robust and engaging opposition against the All Progressives Congress in Nigeria, especially in the South-West.

In a statement he personally issued on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti, the governor said he had become a “prime demolition target” of the APC national leadership because of his “overt and unalloyed support for President Goodluck Jonathan during the campaigns.”

Meanwhile, women in Ikere Ekiti on Wednesday also issued a seven-day ultimatum to the 19 APC lawmakers to back down from the impeachment proceedings against Fayose or they would “invoke the gods” against the legislators.

The women in their hundreds started the protest as early as 5am at Oke Oja Area in Ikere Ekiti and danced round the town while chanting anti-lawmakers songs.

They warned that any attempt to impeach Fayose would spark violence in the state.

A Senator-elect for Ekıtı North Senatorial district, Mr. Duro Faseyi, also warned the lawmakers. led by the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, against setting the state on irredemable and catastrophic fire.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekıtı, Faseyı descrıbed the last-minute impeachment threat   against the governor as “unnecessary vengeance and political error.”

Also, the Ekiti Council of Elders has promised to summon Fayose and the 19 APC lawmakers to a peace meeting to end the lingering crisis between the executive and the legislature.

Rising from an emergency meeting on Wednesday, the council, in a press statement by its Chairman, Prof. Tunde Oluwasanmi, and the Chairman, Committee for the creation of Ekiti State, Chief Deji Fasuan, lamented the crisis rocking the state.

“Let us forgive our oppressors, nobody is a complete angel. Let us accept our inadequacies and beg ourselves. There is a legal government in Ekiti. Both parties must operate from purity of minds,” Fasuan said.

Fayose promised to remain loyal to Jonathan and be his last man standing even if all Nigerians deserted him.

He stated, “I wish to declare unequivocally that I remain loyal to President Jonathan even after May 29 as my support for his re-election and administration was not about bread-and-butter.

“I was convinced he was moving Nigeria in the right direction, despite all the noise. I have no regrets supporting him. If same situation presents itself again, I would do it all over.

“Let me state it clearly that if President Jonathan is deserted by all Nigerians today, I, Ayodele Fayose, will remain with him. I have chosen to be his last-man standing.

The governor added, “It is ironic that those who said worse things about the President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) when they were in opposing parties, are the ones milling around him today, using him as an electoral talisman and demonising us for saying things of lesser magnitude during a campaign that was mainly characterised by hate-messages from both divides.

“I also want to put it on record that if all PDP members decamp to APC today, I will remain the last-man standing for the party, even as I have no cause to denigrate the office of the president.

“I also promise APC a robust and engaging opposition both in the South-West and nationally, with me playing a prominent role.”