Ayo Fayose vs Baba Obasanjo: Like Father, Like Son
Just some hours ago, a friend forwarded a message to my page on what former Governor of Ekiti State Mr Ayodele Fayose wrote to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in response to the Baba's comment at his Fayose's 65th birthday celebration programme in Lagos.
To be honest, I refused to swallow the hook, as in my character with any information that I was unsure of the source, I waited a bit trying to surf the internet for confirmation with the belief that mischief makers and purveyors of falsehood cannot play on my intelligence like they always do to people who don't fact check information before sharing, so long as it aligns with their bias.
Though, am not a fan or admirer of both Ayo Fayose and Baba Obasanjo, two Nigerians whose tenure in public office is everything uncivil and unrepresentative of the ethos of Omoluabi of the Yoruba people, so I was not fazed by the latest attack on Baba Obasanjo by Ayo Fayose, because as far as am concerned, whatever happens between both personalities for me, is a case of, like father, like son.
Also, I must admit that when former Governor Ayo Fayose was making preparations for his 65th birthday celebration and one got to know that he was inviting former President Obasanjo to grace the occasion, I was shocked knowing fully well the frosty relationship that existed between both men while in office and culminated in the removal of Fayose from office as Governor.
Also, one had watched how Fayose when he returned to office for a 2nd term and after his tenure, had repeatedly at every fora poured invectives on Baba Obasanjo on issues that were public knowledge, that you would think nothing would ever make their path cross again, but alas one was wrong.
So when Fayose extended an invitation to baba Obasanjo to grace his 65th birthday celebration, one already knew that this was nothing but the exhibition of his character as a man to whom, self is all and everything.
For the records, any Nigerian who was alive and politically conscious to witness the two term tenure of Ayo Fayose as Governor of Ekiti State, would anytime he remembers that era, weep uncontrollably for humanity because of the atrocities committed by him while in office.
Ayo Fayose was a Governor who brought shame and opprobrium to the image of the average Ekitikete as a person of ule iyi, ule eye. He was everything unOmoluabi and he made no presence about it. Who can forget the scandal of the Ekiti State poultry fiasco that made former President Obasanjo to query and which he repeated at the birthday celebration that when he was in the state to commission the project as the President of the federal republic of Nigeria and being a farmer himself, had to ask that, "Fayose, se adiye ti e, kin ya gbe ni" meaning, "Fayose, don't your chickens pass out faeces". This is because a distinguishing feature of a poultry anywhere in the world is the stench of the excreta of the chickens, but in Fayose's poultry, no such smell foul polluted the environment, which exposed his scam of a project.
Who can forget in a hurry, the Ekitigate gubernatorial election of 2014 wherein Fayose as a gubernatorial candidate of the PDP was ignobly handed the role of the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces of Nigeria for the election by former President Goodluck Jonathan and used it to full advantage giving orders to the military team led by retired Brig.Gen. Momah in utter violation of military discipline and integrity to compromise the election, but the show of shame was exposed by Captain Sagir Koli who narrated how Fayose gave orders to a General of the Nigerian army to his, Koli consternation of such act as an assault on the integrity of the military institution.
One can go on and on about the conducts and comments of Ayo Fayose as Governor of Ekiti State which were demeaning and everything a denigration of human rights, values and dignity of all that Ekiti State symbolized.
However, when we reflect back painfully and traumatically on Ayo Fayose in our political history, we can also not forget Baba Obasanjo 8 years of impunity, rape and assault of our constitution and democracy and so one is forced to assert with all sense of responsibility, that he followed well in his political father former President Olusegun Obasanjo crude and uncivil footsteps, therefore, we are not surprised that today for both men, the chicken has come home to roost again.
One was not surprised that Baba Obasanjo as a speaker at Fayose's 65th birthday celebration, didn't spare him his venom even on his day of glory, that is vintage OBJ for you, a Baba who has only one friend and that is he himself and sees himself as a god here on earth who has no courtesy for civility and sensibility which are cardinal principles of humanity.
One didn't know that Ayo Fayose will react so quickly with his indecorous SMS to Baba Obasanjo as his response to his tirade at his birthday, but knowing fully well that Fayose is a chip of the old bloc, one is not surprised that he has given it back in full measure to Baba Obasanjo, after all, the matter is indisputably one of, like father, like son, same of the same.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Nelson Ekujumi
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