Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said there is nothing complimentary about a statement credited to former governor of Ekiti State, Peter Ayodele Fayose, that described him as “deadly”.
Makinde said this in a statement issued by his Media aide, Taiwo Adisa.
According to the statement, the Oyo State Governor advised Fayose to be gracious in defeat and warned him against spreading a false narrative about the South-West Peoples Democratic Party Congress held in Osun State at the beginning of the week.
Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, the candidate backed by the camp of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, got 343 votes to emerge as new South-West Zonal Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party on Monday.
Dr Eddy Olafeso backed by the camp of Fayose got a total of 330 votes.
But Fayose insisted that there was over voting during the election.
He said this while featuring on Channels TV’s programme ‘Politics Today’ two days ago.
He also explained that a former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, identified dead and sick people accredited for the congress.
The former governor of Ekiti State, who had been at loggerheads with Makinde over the leadership of the PDP in the Southwest prior to the Congress, struck a supposed truce with the Oyo State Governor hours to the commencement of the election in Osogbo.
He even acknowledged Makinde as his leader and by extension that of the Southwest PDP.
But he made a volte-face two days later while on Channels TV, when he alleged that the demeanour of Makinde is at odd with his personality by saying the governor looks “quiet but deadly”
Reacting to Fayose’s statement, Makinde’s aide said describing the Oyo governor as “deadly” is “unstatesmanlike, unguarded, malicious and wicked”.
The statement read in part, “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”.
