The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has dissociated himself from a news report linking him to disparaging remarks against Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
A statement issued late Sunday night by Olayinka Oyebode, his special assistant on media, said,
“The general public is hereby urged to disregard a false report with headline: ‘Tinubu as a leader is responsible for his misfortunes, says Fayemi’.
“The highly mischievous and malicious report is nothing but a tissue of lies. It must be stressed that Dr Kayode Fayemi never granted any interview where he made disparaging comments about the person of our highly revered leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“Dr Fayemi subscribes to the highest moral and ethical standard of the Yoruba and as such would not speak evil or seek to demean Asiwaju Tinubu or any of our respected leaders under no circumstance whatsoever.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr Fayemi has always held and will continue to hold Asiwaju Tinubu in high esteem. The bond that exists between them dates back to decades of cordial relationship and no peddler of falsehood or group of blackmailers hiding under the guise of politics can put asunder.”
The former governor of Ekiti State had also used his Twitter handle @kfayemi to debunk the story, saying, “I never granted such interview and will never use such words quoted in the fictional report against anyone let alone our revered BAT.”
He continued: “As such, I would never speak evil or seek to demean Asiwaju Tinubu or any of our respected leaders under no circumstance whatsoever.
“My relationship with Asiwaju dates back to days of pro-democracy agitations thus precedes the mundane politics of the 4th republic.
“I thank those who drew my attention to the report and many more who were quick to discard the falsehood of a report. Thank you all.”
The disowned story titled: ‘Tinubu, As A Leader Is Responsible For His Own Misfortunes – Fayemi’, reads: “Sequel to the ongoing intraparty crisis segregating the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC), another known “political son” to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who had chosen to pitch his tent with President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, Dr Kayode Fayemi has thrown a stone at his former political godfather, Tinubu over the weekend.
“The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, who Saturday described the embattled national leader of the party as a leader and hardworking person, however maintained that Tinubu was responsible for his own misfortunes in the party, saying no one can be seeing himself as the indispensable where thousand of intellectuals operate.
“According to the former Ekiti State governor, “Asiwaju might have been instrumental to the political breakthrough of some of us, he has the financial muscle, but we equally paid our dues without opportunity of negotiation. We have always been the “Yes Sir” types and we never complained. But we never expected him to think such can continue where development takes place. It is no news that whatever goes around comes around.”
“Fayemi I urged the supporters of the President Buhari-led administration to remain steadfast and focused. He added that the present economic situation of the country was a result of some injurious pieces of advice given the presidency at the inception of this administration by some people he described as leaders without visions who had wanted to hijack the presidency before God’s intervention.
“He assured Nigerians that everything shall soon take formation and the country shall regain her strength again as the giant of Africa, adding that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not continue tearing the party and the country apart with his “golden silence” which he (Fayemi) said was destructive and well understood.
“‘Asiwaju’s antics are not new to us. We can never underrate his political calculations and permutations. Yet, we cannot continue worshiping him. He deserves respect that we are giving but should stop making this country and our party ungovernable for our leaders. The steering is always meant for the driver and not in conjunction with the conductor.
“‘Once a political party is formed and a national leader is appointed or elected, other mini-leaders should be humble enough to respect the decisions of the constituted authority no matter what. Wherever there is no orderliness, there can never be progress, and we call ourselves the Progressives. We must be ready to live out our name as the Progressives.
“‘What happened in Ondo State during our primary that produced Chief Rotimi Akeredolu against the wishful calculation and permutation of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to impose Hon. Segun Abraham was a complete display of egocentric orientation by Asiwaju. No single man, I repeat, no single individual can override the decision of our political party. No more in APC!
“‘We have presented Akeredolu and we believe he is winning the governorship election by all means. Ondo people have supported our candidate and with the reactions of the people, he has the victory already. Our second coming to this state will be to inaugurate Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the Governor of Ondo State, political anti-party and calculations of some disgruntled elements notwithstanding, because everything, I mean every arrangement is in order,” Kayode Fayemi assured APC supporters.”