The embattled Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has opened up on why he avoids the President Muhammadu Buhari’s council of states meeting each time its being called.
The Ekiti state governor in an interview granted to news agency, Vanguard over the weekend said: “Each time they call meeting, my deputy goes there. You remember I was in Abuja, and I said expressly there that they were calling it economic summit; they brought all of us there, but when I saw the list of the people that will lecture us; I couldn’t allow a sick man to be treating me – people I knew ran the economy of their states aground were to be the lecturers in the summit”.
He continued: “And when you see the figures they brandished for arrangements and feeding running into over N250m; that is not economic summit. That is economic stealing. So, I send my deputy regularly.
“I wrote three letters to the president, none of them was replied. Initially, when he became president, I didn’t start like this. About two – three times I called the villa they would divert my call to the CSO, saying I cannot talk to the president. I should say whatever I want to say to him; a sitting governor? That is not Nigeria. So, at that point, I had to steer clear because they were on a vendetta mission”.
Further clarifying his point, Fayose said: “The fact that I criticise you; I don’t have to be in your party! The APC, every day they come here to do rallies, they say that Fayose should resign, they say Fayose is fraudulent, did you see me slapping anybody? I will just look at you. There is freedom of expression. Even in the face of intimidation and even in the face of misbehaving, as a leader, you should accommodate all. Let me give you one instance, which the APC can never do to anybody. Throughout the tenure Fayemi was here, I never used a word that is unclean on him. I tell him he is our leader because anybody God has put there is our leader truly!”