By Rotimi Ojomoyela – Ado-Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said there was no truth in the media report that he took the former Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Victor Giadom to Aso Rock Villa to see President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fayemi in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, alleged that the falsehood was fabricated by a senior aide of the Presidency and a former Senator, Babafemi Ojudu, and planted in a national newspaper just to cast aspersion on the person of Governor Fayemi and create an impression that the NGF Chairman is an unwanted visitor at the Villa.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the general public is being drawn to a misleading publication by … a Newspaper online with the headline “Fayemi’s failed mission to Villa with Giadom”, published on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.
“It is on record that Senator Ojudu, in his desperate bid to rubbish Governor Fayemi, had told his close associates that he would battle Governor Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) with falsehood and cheap blackmail in his nefarious attempt to destabilise APC in Ekiti State.
“We, therefore, implore the general public to disregard the highly illogical concoction that was served as an exclusive story.
“In setting the record straight, we hereby state unequivocally that Governor Fayemi had no plan nor reason to see Mr President on Tuesday late afternoon as maliciously presented in the report.
“The Governor, had earlier seen Mr President at noon in company of three of his colleagues – Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).
“Also present at that meeting were the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
“Governor Fayemi was in the villa later in the afternoon to see the COS and State Chief of Protocol (SCOP). He was never denied any opportunity to see President Buhari as he did not ask to see the President and neither did he go with Chief Giadom.
“We are aware of surreptitious efforts to demonise and blackmail Governor Fayemi on account of the challenges the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is undergoing.
“We have tried not to join issues with the barrage of falsehood, personality attacks and campaign of calumny against Governor Fayemi on social media in the last two weeks because it is not in Dr Fayemi’s character to engage in unintelligent rabblerousing in the media.
“As a principled democrat, Dr Fayemi is committed to fighting for the principles of democracy within the political party he laboured with other notable Nigerians to birth. It is normal for political leaders to be in disagreement, but it should not lead to campaigns of calumny based on falsehood.
According to the statement, Fayemi’s position on the APC crisis has been to consistently subsume his views in the position of the Progressives Governors Forum as expressed by the Chairman.
It added that Fayemi has not spoken on the party crisis in any public forum but continues to urge all members and lovers of the party to exercise restraint and support the leader of the party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other leaders desirous of resolution to give peace a chance.
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