Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the ego of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been deflated as it has tactically conceded defeat few days to the March 28 presidential election.
Fayose, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital on Thursday, said that the sudden u-turn made by the North, which had realised that the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), would be made to shortchange the North, had rattled the opposition party.
He further stated that the issue of the purported ill-health of the former head of state had become worrisome to the northern caucus, which did not want a repeat of the Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua saga.
Fayose cited the forced cancellation of APC’s presidential rallies in Kaduna and Enugu as an indication that Buhari was not yet physically and mentally fit to go for any rally.
According to the governor, while Buhari was still recuperating in a London hospital, he succumbed to pressure by certain leaders of the APC, who wanted to douse the growing apprehension by Nigerians over the presidential flag bearer’s state of health, to come back home.
Fayose also noted that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his supporters were already retracing their steps back to the PDP and that the North had seen the deceit in APC South-West leaders in pushing forward a Buhari candidature, even against the man’s interest.
“We thank the APC for conceding defeat in the coming elections. At least, they, for the first time, appear realistic. General Buhari’s insistence that he must be allowed to attend to his health is commendable.
“It is glaring that he needs to rest and not waste energy on a failed project. The man has been abandoned by those who claim to be his backers and Buhari’s people have told him the bitter truth. That they would prefer to wait for another four years than to get trapped by some selfish South-West leaders for eight years.
“The preoccupation of the APC now is how to retain the APC-controlled states and prevent the PDP from capturing them.
“The tactical withdrawal of people like Atiku, Kwakwanso and the battle for survival by Tinubu and Amaechi in Lagos and Rivers have woken up General Buhari to the politics of deceit that some are luring him to.
“While PDP leaders are confidently traversing the country meeting Nigerians and getting their support, APC leaders are held up in their hideouts. Who among them is canvassing support for Buhari now?
“Tinubu, for instance, is only pre-occupied with his aim of maintaining his stranglehold on Lagos’ resources by putting another stooge in the Government House, Ikeja, but this time around, he has failed woefully.
“Kudos to patriotic Nigerians and Northern leaders who have seen the deceit called APC and refused the bait flaunt at them. APC is a dead horse, no amount of flogging can wake it up”, he said.
GEJtill2019. This is the fact on ground
In Fayose’s dreams, majority of Nigerians are no more as gullible. I can understand why Fayose is freely running his mouth instead of doing the job he was elected for, Oh! he didn’t really win by the peoples mandate. Atiku i understand is a strong and relevant name in this country’s politics and otherwise. But he had spoken and given his stance and i quote the Turakin Adamawa “I remain irrevocably committed to the APC, as I promised in my concession speech at the conclusion of our party’s presidential primaries, and has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of our great party,”. I thought this was enough to put the mischief makers away, but no! the big one had to show himself as usual. PDP out APC in. #change2015