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I Rejected APC Leaders’ Plan to Trade Away Olusola – Fayose

Published

8 years ago

July 5, 2018

Eric

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has revealed that the All Progressives Congress leaders mounted pressure on him to trade the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, for their candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in the July 14 governorship poll.

The governor said he bluntly rejected the request because he could not tarnish his image and compromise his integrity.

Fayose stated this during an interview on state radio and television in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday night.

He said, “They approached me to negotiate with them and trade away the ticket of Olusola to pave the way for the victory of Fayemi. They cited examples of leaders who have done that before and wished I do the same.

“But I bluntly told them that I would never do that. If others are doing it, I am not like them. I have integrity, I am Peter, the rock. I am set for another defeat of Fayemi and the APC. After Ekiti, we shall move to a higher level in Abuja.

“They said I am stubborn, I told them I am stubborn because I am a man with principles. Ekiti people know where I stand. I will not betray Ekiti people who love me and my party.”

The governor, who said that his party was set for another electoral victory, condemned the arrest and intimidation of teachers and supporters of the PDP.

Specifically, he accused the Department of State Services of doing the bidding of Fayemi by harassing teachers and perceived opponents of the immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel Development.

The governor said the teachers were being harassed because of their resolve to vote Olusola, and wondered if the people Fayemi wanted to govern were the ones being clamped into detention by the DSS.

He urged the teachers, Okada operators, drivers, traders, artisans, youths, pensioners and workers to remain resolute in their determination to vote Olusola.

He also urged the people to protect their votes by staying after casting their votes to ensure that the votes count in the end.

“Don’t go away after voting; stay back to monitor your votes, be vigilant and prepare for prospective riggers who would come around.”

Meanwhile, the Inspector- General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has threatened to dismiss any officer found hobnobbing with politicians or act in a way that could compromise the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State.

He urged his men to be neutral and apolitical in their engagement before, during and after the poll.

The IG spoke in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday during a lecture organised for Divisional Police Officers in the state and other officers and men of the force to sensitise them to the need to exhibit right attitudes during the election.

He was represented by the Commander in charge of Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, ACP Abayomi Shogunle.

He said, “We have no business being partisan. Our duty is to provide security for the electorate, election observers, ballot materials on the day of the election and nothing more.

“I want you to be professional in your duties and wherever you are posted to. The police work is like a service to the people. Don’t intimidate anybody to please politicians. You must think of your careers in the force and prevent enjoyment of one day from destroying it.

“I know your salaries are not big, but there is dignity in contentment. Don’t allow these moneybags to spoil your names and your future.

“You could recollect that those officers that were accused to have misbehaved in 2014 in Ekiti State have been investigated and punished by the authorities.

“Election will come and go and later politicians shall realign and become friends while you will be in trouble, facing it all alone.

“We are saying that we are going to dismiss whoever is found guilty of misbehaviour in this election. If we have strong evidence against you, we will also take legal action against you.”

Idris also directed the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Bello, to direct his men to destroy all illegal checkpoints mounted across the state.

“Though some checkpoints are made to create a defence, those are legal ones permitted to exist. But anyone that is mounted to extort the populace must cease to exist,” he added.

The Punch

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

1 hour ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

7 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

9 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.