Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said he stands by all he said about President Muhammadu Buhari on his ill health and has no apologies.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Governors Forum advised the president to resign so as to look after his health because he is sick and tired.
Fayose spoke on Wednesday during a meeting with political office holders at the Government’s House in Ado Ekiti.
He said, “If not for our efforts, Buhari wouldn’t have returned now. Buhari is sick and tired and even his physical appearance betrayed this and he needs to go home and rest.
“Today, they have cancelled the Federal Executive Council meeting. You cannot hide the truth forever, it will reveal itself someday. You cannot continue to deceive Nigerians.
“Every word that has come out of my mouth, I have no apology for them. President Buhari was indeed in a coma and one of those who visited him said his recovery is a miracle. That shows that he was indeed very sick. Let Buhari go back to Daura and rest, don’t send him to an early grave.”
Fayose, however, denied reports on social media that he vowed to commit suicide if the president came back alive from his medical vacation to the United Kingdom.
He attributed the rumour to the work of miscreants spreading misleading reports about him in the social media.
“How can I commit suicide because of an old man? Such are from miscreants on the social media. Let me tell you expressly, why would I commit suicide? I cannot commit suicide because of my mother. Even if they are burying my mother now, I will cleverly stay away from the grave so that I won’t fall into it. I can’t commit suicide because of Buhari. I never said that and will never make such statement.”
Fayose said pressure from him and civil society groups, including ‘Resume or Resign Movement’, was responsible for the forced return of the president to Nigeria.
“The pressure from me and many other Nigerians made the president return home. They have been treating this matter under the table forgetting that the life of a president is an open book that can be read by everybody and anybody.
“Not until civil societies and people like us started making noise. You can’t be our president without us knowing what is happening to you.
“For me, the president went to a coma on July 6. Today, they can come back and organise rallies and all that attested to the fact that the President recovered by a miracle which we are glad about.
“We are happy that he is back. But when you look at the President physically, you will see that he is emaciated, tired and weak. You don’t have to be president at all cost when you are tired, you go home.
“I stand by all I have said about the President. We are glad he is back but don’t over-flog him. I am not a sycophant and I stand to speak for Nigeria. Somebody must be able to speak on behalf of the poor masses. This was how they deceived us during the time of Yar’Adua.
“I am not a hypocrite and I will never be one. This country deserves a very healthy person. Office of the president is not for a sick man. The president is tired and should be allowed to resign and go and rest. ”
The governor also took a swipe at those saying Buhari was old enough to be his father.
“Buhari is not old enough to be my father. My mother is older than Buhari, not to even talk about my father, he can only be my uncle. I am close to 60.”
Asked if he would honour the invitation if invited to see the president, the governor said that could be misinterpreted, adding that he would prefer to watch from a distance.
“I cannot go and greet the president if invited and the reason is that such action would be misinterpreted to be something else. So, it is good for me to wish him well from a distance and be able to tell Nigerians the truth.”
“I don’t want to talk about 2019′, but I want to tell you that Nigeria needs a president that is agile and strong. The job is too much for an individual that does not have what it takes.
“We wish him well and we want him to recover but the President should throw in the towel, resign and go home.
“They said he would come back and resume in his office, he resumed in his office, they said rats have taken over his office. Now, they said he is working from home, tomorrow, they would say he is coming from the bedroom. All these stories are ending up in a make-belief.”
