by Deji Abidoun
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari’s interview with the All Eyes on African TV reporter, Kemi Fadojutimi was conducted in a suite at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja and not in the United Kingdom, as presented by the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation.
A picture of General Buhari and Kemi Fadojutimi was published by national dailies last Friday. But the Ekiti State governor, who spoke with newsmen in Room 880 of Transcorp Hilton, where he claimed the interview session held, showed journalists a three-seat sofa, table lamp as well as the paintings on the wall of the room with striking similarity with the pictures published by national dailies.
Conducting journalists round, Governor Fayose accused the APC of brazen falsehood and vowed to continue to expose the main opposition party and its presidential candidate.
His words: “I brought you here to see for yourself, the setting of the room in the Hilton where the picture was taken.
“I am not here to deceive Nigerians. They couldn’t find an answer to my allegation. The only thing they could send across is to send this picture in defence of the fact I said General Buhari is in the hospital.
“In my own case, I brought you here to see for yourself.
“The fact speaks for itself. So, I am presenting this for you to see formally so that you can make a judgment.
“Look at the background, look at the flower vase, look at the lamp. The fact speaks for itself. So, I am presenting this for you to see formally so that you can make a judgment.”
The governor restated his claim that the APC presidential candidate was on a sick bed in a hospital in London, receiving treatment for an ailment and was not fit for the exalted office of President.
“Nobody would become the president of Nigeria through deception. I am telling all my supporters all over the world, the APC presidential candidate isn’t having any meeting in London.
“He is on a sick bed in Cavendish Street in London. They should come out and confess to Nigerians that this isn’t a response to my declaration that General Buhari is sick.
“So, this isn’t personal. I am not against the North, I am not against the South, I am saying Nigerians must be given opportunity to elect a President that will endure, a healthy person that will rule this country.” Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Sheu, in his reaction, refrained from commenting on issues raised by Governor Fayose.
Mallam Sheu said: “We aren’t going to join issues with him. We have issues of national security, stolen money from NPPC’s account and unemployment in the country.
These are the challenges facing Nigerians and that’s what we want to talk about.”
Meanwhile, The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) has said the revelation that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lied about the location of General Buhari’s interview for the TV show ‘All Eyes on Africa’ proves it is a party founded and built on deceit.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said: “It has come to light that the All Progressives Congress lied about the location of General Buhari’s interview with Kemi Fadojutimi of the USA-based TV show ‘All Eyes on Africa’.
“While the APC had earlier claimed that the interview was conducted in London, UK, Mr. Mukhtar Dan’Iyan has proven through his twitter handle, @AyeDee, that the interview was actually conducted in the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
“As many Nigerians are now aware, in 41 tweets posted on his timeline on Sunday, February 22, 2015, Mr. Dan’Iyan (@AyeDee), proved to the whole world that the interview under review, which the APC led Nigerians to believe was conducted in faraway London, United Kingdom, was actually carried out here in Abuja at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.”
“Moreover, despite desperate attempts by the APC propaganda machinery to coerce newspapers from retracting the fraudulent picture of Buhari’s purported London interview, The Guardian, one of the newspapers that printed the picture on its front page of Sunday, February 22, 2015, was quick to publish a regretful retraction on page 2 of the newspaper’s Monday, February 23, 2015 edition.”
“In the retraction, The Guardian wrote, and I quote, ‘The front page picture of yesterday in The Guardian on Sunday was not taken during the visit of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to London as we erroneously stated. The picture was actually taken in Abuja when he was being interviewed by a journalist. The error is regretted’.”
