Ekiti state governor, Kayode Fayemi gave his reason for declaring his ambition to contest in the APC presidential primary against his long time political ally, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fayemi made this known on Wednesday in an interview on Channels TV “Politics Today” hours after he declared his intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
The interviewer had said: “You will be running against someone who has helped you politically, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, how does that come to you in the first instance?”
Responding Fayemi said, “Let me say that I’ve had a very good relationship with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whom I met in exile in 1994 when he came out after the annulment of the election and the establishment of NADECO (National Democratic Coalition)…We maintained a very cordial relationship ever since then.
“So, when I was asked by Governor Niyi Adebayo, the current Minister of Trade and Investment, to come and run for office in Ekiti, Asiwaju supported me; he was out there for me because of his knowledge of my involvement in the pro-democracy movement and we’ve worked together on a number of issues.
“This is not a personal contest; this is about Nigeria, the future of our children. It is about competing visions of what that future holds for Nigerians.
“I have the greatest respect for Asiwaju and I will continue to do that but I do believe that I have a strong vision on how to reposition Nigeria and build on the legacies of the current President.”
However, Fayemi was asked again to clarify the claims that he betrayed Tinubu.
Responding, the Governor of Ekiti said, “The Asiwaju that I know is a democrat; he believes that politics is a marketplace of ideas and people should test their own convictions. His (Tinubu’s) courage of conviction is not in doubt and I do not think he will want to stamp on the convictions of others in terms of how Nigerians should go…
“I don’t believe that we should see that as a basis for demonizing anyone and I know that the Asiwaju that I know, that I have interacted with would not subscribe to that. I don’t believe that he will use terminologies like betrayal.
“This is not an inheritance; it is about Nigeria – Nigeria is the commonwealth of all Nigerians. It is not a traditional title that we are seeking, the office we are seeking is to make an improvement for all Nigerians.”
Fayemi added that: “Running for office is not an ambition; I’ve always maintained that it is service, it is sacrifice, it is duty.”
