Ayodele Fayose, the governor of Ekiti State, has condemned the attack on the erstwhile APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying; “humiliation of Tinubu is as good as humiliation of the Yoruba race.”
Fayose said even though he isn’t a member of the ruling party and will never be, he is standing in defence of the Yoruba nation “by saying no to the continuous dishonourable treatment” being meted to Tinubu, because the former Lagos governor has paid his dues.
“If Tinubu is allowed to be embarrassed and disgraced just the way our past leaders were humiliated by these same elements, the Yoruba nation would have been made to suffer for uprightness,” Fayose said in a statement on Friday, October 7, 2016 signed by his new media aide, Lere Olayinka.
Commenting on the protest against Tinubu at the APC secretariat on Thursday, Fayose said the “sponsored” protest is “unfortunate,” considering how Tinubu invested heavily in the formation of the APC. He said it was especially sad that Tinubu’s fellow kinsmen who he brought up politically are part of the conspiracy against him.
“In their desperation, they have even tried to set him against the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, by insinuating that he tried to prevent his (Osinbajo) emergence as President Mohammadu Buhari’s running mate, this is sad!”
He said Yorubas kept allowing themselves to be used against their leaders for momentary political gains at the expense of the collective interests of the Yoruba nation, citing the example of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was sent to jail by the “conspiracy and collaboration of some Yorubas with the external aggressors.”
Governor Fayose said “we should not sit back and watch while those he used his own sweat to make conspired with others to humiliate him.
“To me, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not be seen just as an APC leader, but acknowledged as a major stakeholder in the Yoruba nation that we must all protect beyond politics.
”It should be recalled that these were among the issues that I raised when I visited Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State few months ago on the need to work together beyond party affiliations.
“Here in Yorubaland, it is said that if a household is at peace, it is because the bastard child of the family is yet to attain the age of maturity and those people that Asiwaju Tinubu made, but are now being used against him should watch it.
“I therefore condemn this conspiracy against Asiwaju Tinubu and I admonish those that are hoping to make political benefits from it to have a rethink.”
“We are first Yorubas before becoming members of political parties, it is my opinion that our leaders must be defended and protected not-minding the personal gains of today,” he said.
