Anyway, thanks to Fayose for bringing the Halliburton scandal up. It is a call for the EFCC to revisit the Halliburton scandal and bring those involved to book. Just as Fayose must prove to Nigerians that the yams in his barns are not from the Dasuki yam-sharing festival, while also revealing the legitimate activities he engaged in to earn him such humongous amount, as reported, and the taxes he paid on these earnings. Period.
Hate or like him, Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose is a master of his own brand of politics. Fayose, fondly known as “Oshokomole” amongst the Ekiti people, has proven that he has the key to the hearts of the majority in Ektiti State. If anyone is in doubt of Oshoko’s popularity amongst the Ekiti people, tell him or her to ask his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi.
From taking shots of paraga on the streets, buying ponmon in the market to his most successful “stomach-infrastructure” project, Fayose has delivered dividends of “demo-crazy” to the Ekiti people. As such, he remains the people’s governor and a political moving train that cannot be stopped as far as Ekiti State politics is concerned. The likes of Tope Aluko, the APC lawmakers who wanted him impeached and the Ekiti court judge and litigants who were beaten to stupor at Fayose’s behest can attest to this.
Coming to national politics, Fayose is a different personality to different people. He sees himself as the “nemesis” of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC). To the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its sympathisers, he’s the most courageous, fearless voice of the opposition. While to others, he’s just a brighter reflection of the restless boys we see in motor parks.
Last year, Fayose stunned Nigerians by sponsoring a front-page death-wish advert on candidate Muhammadu Buhari, in the run up to the 2015 presidential election. At another instance during the campaign, he revealed the size of his brain as he was reported to have said, “My over 70 years old mum wears diapers”, just to rubbish Candidate Buhari as a man too old to be elected as president of Nigeria. For a political “Solomon” like Fayose, there is no limit to what he could do or say in politics. So, we wouldn’t be surprised one day to hear Fayose praise himself as the dinosaur of Ekiti State politics, whose greatest achievement is buying ponmo and taking shots of paraga on the streets.
Last week, Fayose’s reaction to the freezing of his Zenith bank accounts by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), revealed how crude he could be. The EFCC has claimed that Fayose’s accounts have been frozen as a result of ongoing investigations that link the funds in the accounts to the Dasuki yam-sharing festival.
Provoked by the fact that he was denied access to the yams in his barns, Fayose decided to shock Nigerians by exposing President Buhari as not being the holy person he makes out to be. “Even the president cannot claim to be an angel. The estate he built in Abuja is known to us… His wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal (sic). When that American, Jefferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 to Jefferson. Her name was on page 22 of the sentencing of Jefferson”, Fayose said.
And as for the voice that thundered from the Rocky Villa via a tweet that reads: “…Fayose is an unchained mad dog…”, I wish to say that Nigerians are very much “impressed” that she has perfected the style of Madam “Na-Only-You-Waka-Come”. Her reaction was so “civil”, but she ought to have known that barking at an “unchained mad dog” is infra dig. All she needed to have done was to throw the dog a bone it cannot resist.
In response to Fayose’s claim, two former EFCC chairmen, Ibrahim Lamorde and Nuhu Ribadu, both said that the Aisha Buhari, Fayose referred to in his statement was an imposter. However, reading Fayose’s statement and the links attached to it reveals something striking.
First, Fayose fails to mention the specific location and the name of the estate he alleges Buhari to have built in Abuja for those of who would like to verify his claim. Second, had Fayose taken the picture in the New York Time article to those women he buys ponmo from, they would have seen that the imposter in the article is different from who he is maligning and cautioned him not to embarrass himself or infest the public with his ignorance.
In addition, an investigative report published in Sahara Reporters reveals that, “there is another Aisha Buhari, living in the Virginia area: the same Aisha Buhari who claimed to be President Buhari’s daughter but who actually has no relationship with him”, while Premium Times also reported that, “In attacking Aisha Buhari, Fayose mixes up ‘scandals’”. With these reports in two credible online news platforms, the plot of Fayose to pull the wool over the eyes of the public has failed.
Anyway, thanks to Fayose for bringing the Halliburton scandal up. It is a call for the EFCC to revisit the Halliburton scandal and bring those involved to book. Just as Fayose must prove to Nigerians that the yams in his barns are not from the Dasuki yam-sharing festival, while also revealing the legitimate activities he engaged in to earn him such humongous amount, as reported, and the taxes he paid on these earnings. Period.
And as for the voice that thundered from the Rocky Villa via a tweet that reads: “…Fayose is an unchained mad dog…”, I wish to say that Nigerians are very much “impressed” that she has perfected the style of Madam “Na-Only-You-Waka-Come”. Her reaction was so “civil”, but she ought to have known that barking at an “unchained mad dog” is infra dig. All she needed to have done was to throw the dog a bone it cannot resist.
Ahmed Oluwasanjo writes from Lagos and can be reached through ahmedoluwasanjo@gmail.com; Twitter: @ahmedrazak3
The above image is the screenshot of the tweet that was later attributed to the work of hackers.
