I hear from many Ekiti APC stalwarts that their former leader, John Kayode Fayemi, will PROBABLY not get any appointment anytime soon under Tinubu’s administration.
And I ask why?
Why nah?
Didn’t Fayemi step down for Tinubu during the APC primary?
Wasn’t he the one we saw going in front, beside, and behind Tinubu on all international engagements immediately after Tinubu clinched the APC ticket and everyone thought he was a shoo-in for Minister of External Affairs or Ambassador to the U.S or Britain or the United Nations?
What happened?
“Well, that stepping down that you mentioned gan-gan is one of his crimes. Given the role that Tinubu played in his political career, it was heretical for him to have contested against Tinubu in the first place.”
“Ehn, maybe so. But was he not right when he said in one interview that everyone was free to run; that the presidency was not anyone’s sole prerogative…or something along those lines?” I asked.
“Okay o. He was right. Shebi he has now seen the result now. You mentioned that he was hawking some sort of international affairs creds around Tinubu immediately after the election. Who send am? It was shameless. We saw through it. Asiwaju saw through it too.”
“Wipe Asiwaju will not give him something?” I asked incredulously.
“Look, the principalities that Fayemi offended are legion:
- Remember that Senator Opeyemi Bamidele was the man initially “recommended” by Asiwaju for governor of Ekiti. Bamidele “voluntarily” ceded the ticket to Fayemi because he was from Ekiti North even though more formidable people had jostled for the ticket for about two years ahead of Fayemi. Bamidele had to step down to get a House of Reps ticket. And during the election, when Bamidele was shot while campaigning for Fayemi and was flown abroad, folks had to plead with Fayemi before he went to check on him. You think Bamidele, now Senate Majority Leader, has forgiven Fayemi, especially when Fayemi did not even want him to get the current Senate ticket?”
“Ah! I remember the Bamidele shooting but I know nothing about Fayemi blocking him for Senate.”
“Okay. Ohun lo de ti gbo yen.”
- When Dele Alake, current Minister of Solid Materials, tried to run for Senate during Fayemi’s first term, Fayemi kicked him out of Ekiti and the man quickly ran back to Lagos and then to America. You think Alake has forgotten?
“But I have no recollection of Egbon Alake ever going to Ekiti. In fact, I’d always thought the man was a Lagosian!”
“No, he is one of us in Ekiti.”
“Tooor.”
- Shebi you know Oyetunde Ojo, husband of Folashade Ojo-Tinubu daughter of Asiwaju? Fayemi denied Ojo HoR second term ticket! He did not know that one day, Ojo’s father-in-law will become president.
“Ah! Toooor.”
- This one will shock me if you say you don’t know. When Asiwaju began the process to remove Ambode in Lagos, it was Fayemi that headed Ambode’s “Situation Room” from where he was disbursing Buhari’s funds against Sanwoolu’s candidacy. You don’t think Asiwaju knew about it?
“Oloun ngbo! I am hearing it for the first time!”
- Fayemi was one of the so-called Southwest “Young Turks” that plotted the overthrow of Asiwaju as leader of the APC. He used the Governors Forum to undermine Asiwaju’s influence in the party and to further his own presidential ambition. There were many unsavory things he said about Asiwaju and some media attacks that were later discovered to have been sponsored by him. You don’t think all these got to Asiwaju?”
“But they say Asiwaju is unlike Awolowo in the aspect of forgiveness nah. Haba! We hear many stories of him forgiving people. I mean…nobody is perfect. Asiwaju himself said it a couple of days ago that he is not perfect.”
“Pshew. If Asiwaju forgives him, those Ekiti principalities will not.”
“Anyway, Fayemi is a young man. He has many years of potentially fruitful engagements/appointments ahead of him. Twice a governor and minister. What more does he want? If I were him, I will just tell all those ‘principalities’ to shove it…shove it up their asses.”
“Easy for you to say, Biodun, because you have never tasted power.”
“Wayraminnit…Isn’t Fayemi under EFCC probe about money laundering allegations?”
“Yes, he is. But that’s neither here nor there. That’s a Federal government principality.”
