Former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, says he would send ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo to prison if he becomes Nigeria’s president.
Fayose made the comment in reaction to the ex-president’s scathing condolence message on the death of former Nigerian Senator, Buruji Kashamu.
Obasanjo had in his condolence message said: “Senator Buruji Kashamu in his lifetime used the maneuver of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“But no legal, political, cultural, social, or even medical maneuver could stop the cold hand of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up.
Reacting to that, Fayose condemned his statement along with Ahmed Tinubu and other Nigerians, noting that the living should be kind to the dead since death is inevitable for all mortals.
“Nigerians are watching for your end too”, Fayose told Obasanjo. In a riposte, Obasanjo responded by saying that people can mourn him the way they like when he dies. He noted that he was not gloating over Kashamu’s death, saying that his death is a lesson for Nigerians.
His words: “When I was growing up, in our community, when anyone known with bad character died, we usually only mourn him and bury him. No eulogy. No praise-singing.
“There is an English saying that urges us never to talk ill of the dead. But in this case, we are not talking ill of the dead. We are only drawing lessons from the life and history of the dead. I am not gloating over his death. It is sad for anyone to die and we must mourn him.
“But we must learn from such a passage. There will be bad lessons. There will be good lessons. But we should not just be praise-singing or eulogising the dead, especially when there is no need to do so.
“We should not cover up bad histories and conducts so that the right lessons can be learned.”
Speaking on Obasanjo’s comment in a programme on PlusTVAfrica, Fayose said, “Let me tell you, Obasanjo has made hate speech and should be brought to book by this government. I pray one day I will become president of this country by God’s grace. Obasanjo will go back to prison. I’m telling you the truth because there are so many things Obasanjo must be questioned about.
“Obasanjo is not a saint when he came out of prison his farm at Ota was in shambles. But, today, it is back to life. Where did the money for resuscitating the once ailing farm came from? It was from the government.
“For the library, all governors at that time contributed 10 million naira each to support Obasanjo by force. The third term is still fresh in our memory. So, baba should stop telling us he is a saint. Shagari was not good enough. He imposed him on Nigerians. He brought Yar’ dua and Jonathan. Nobody is good to Obasanjo except himself.
“Whatever you say about Kashamu. He has paid his own dues, spent his time. No court convicted him and he left and departed the world. Everybody will have an end. Let wait and see how Obasanjo will end.”
