Governor Fayemi’s Concession Of Defeat, A Political Stunt – Ayo Fayose

The Ekiti State Governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose, on Thursday in Abuja, said the concession of incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi to defeat was a stunt aimed at eliciting public sympathy.

Fayose told the News Agency of Nigeria that although Fayemi at the weekend conceded publicly and congratulated him, the governor had not picked calls from him since then.

He said, “The governor said I am conceding to defeat. Let me be realistic with you, there is a difference between propaganda and reality.

“I have been calling the governor since after our meeting but he hasn’t picked the call.

“If you read all papers now, he said I will create local governments before I go; how do you reconcile these things?

“I am not a propagandist, I am a realist. The governor says he will do employment before he leaves that means you want to create problem for the incoming government.

“So I see that concession, as good as it may be, we must all be realistic about it, we must not deceive the Nigerian populace.

“Their party said we are still studying the ink used by INEC; it is the governor that conceded not our party.”

Fayose recalled that in 2003, his predecessor, Mr Niyi Adebayo, also conceded defeat but went ahead to conduct a mass recruitment though he had only six months remaining in his tenure.

He said, “I respect the governor; he is our leader, up until the 15th of October, he remains our leader but I want to appeal to APC not to play propaganda with sensitive issues like this.

“If the governor says I am not going, his party too must make pronouncements otherwise I do not mind them going to court.

“The court will ask you: ‘it is usually the incumbent that rigs, why would somebody who is not an incumbent now rig and defeat you in your ward’?”

He said that none of the APC Senators or House of Representative members, including former governor, Mr Segun Oni, won in their polling booths, not even former Governor Segun Oni.

Fayose, however, commended the incumbent governor for the bold step taken in conceding defeat, though it was meant to induce public sympathy.

He said though he would run an inclusive government he would only work with those who were willing to work with him.

He said, “With due respect, I know APC more than you, I will not shoot myself in the leg before I start so I will rather let us leave it as it is.

“It is our government but we will make sure they have their say; minority will have their say, majority will have their way. We will make sure that there is an environment for them to operate as credible opposition to government.