We are expecting judgement this week concerning local government election. I've said it times without number that I will go on with that election except if the court says stop, then I will obey.
A military panel was set up to look into activities of military personnel during last year’s Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections. What is your view on the panel's investigation so far?
You will recall that after I won the election, there was this effort to stop the swearing-in that generated a lot of controversy; even before and after the elections. There was one story of photo-chronic military rigging and all that.
You will equally recall that there were four elections after mine; the presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections. They all followed the same pattern even when military men were not enough for the whole country. They followed the same pattern. It is good for anybody to complain about the elections. But you can't win an election if you are not on ground. That's what happened in Ekiti State.
What they are doing now is that they went to Kaduna, after all submissions, they now want to say the military rigged Ekiti election. They are releasing their report very soon. Knowing that military report holds no water in law, the attorney-general would want that report reviewed and approach the Supreme Court to review their position, which is not known in law.
Are you surprised that the military panel was set-up?
To my surprise, I later learnt that they set up a panel to look into activities of some military men during the elections in Ekiti and Osun. That is their choice. After all, Dr. Kayode Fayemi conceded defeat to me. Yet, the party still went ahead to challenge it up to the Supreme Court and we still won. The Supreme Court dealt properly with the issue of impeachment and it did not raise issues of whether the elections were won or not. It talked about the issue of certificate that was raised in 2002. It equally raised the issue of non-qualification as a result of impeachment. The court dealt with it all and it was a landmark judgement already reported in all law journals.
But your voice was singled out at a meeting with some PDP chieftains held prior to the election strategising on how to go about and win the election by all means?
An online newspaper generated the report of a conversation and I came out to say that I was part of the conversation. I was the complainant in that conversation. If they now set up a military committee to look into the Ekiti and Osun elections that were adjudged to be free and fair, the Americans and international observers made it very clear that they recommend Ekiti elections for subsequent elections. That military panel was selected for this hatchet job. The same military handled elections in Ekiti and Osun. The PDP won in Ekiti, but the APC won in Osun, heavens did not fall. They have a target. But we are waiting for them.
You have been critical of the present government and that of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo. Why are you so interested in criticising these people?
I have been very critical of this government and I will continue to be critical of any government in Nigeria because democracy is about opposition and the government in power. I have no regrets and I am not sorry about my actions. I did not start after Buhari's election, I started before the elections. I actually told Nigerians not to vote for him (Buhari). I advertised to ensure that people will not vote for him and I am still not sorry for that. I still maintain my stand because I envisaged this disobedience to court orders and dictatorship. Forget about those who rule Nigeria, but we must be ruled by the rule of law. We must appreciate that the hope of the common man is the judiciary and every order issued by the court must be respected by every Nigerian.
As for Obasanjo, we are living testimonies of his misrule. Obasanjo is an expired man today, and I am still making impact. He goes to Aso Rock to beg every week. How many times did Buhari visit him when he was president in Aso Rock? Buhari did not step into Aso Rock throughout Obasanjo's tenure, not even at Council of State meetings. What is Obasanjo looking for in the villa? He is going about asking the president to make this one a minister, that one minister.
The Kogi State election and its experiences are still very fresh. What is your opinion about the conclusion of this election?
It doesn’t matter which party I belong to, but Nigerians, their votes and views must be respected. When a man did not participate in an election and he is the beneficiary of that election; that is injustice. I don't know whether they announced the winner on the basis of that supplementary election. At the point when the election was held, it was believed that all the procedures leading to an election have been observed and there must be somebody declared winner at the end. If a man is dead, he doesn't enjoy democracy and votes from an election. Automatically, election came, processes followed and a winner must be announced. Idris Wada was supposed to be announced. Now that you have equally chosen not to announce Wada, I don't know how you brought somebody else who did not participate in the elections.
I must commend James Abiodun Faleke. I am not saying he is the winner. But we must commend him for standing out in the midst of this darkness. God uses a man for a purpose in a given time. Faleke is being used for a purpose in this period of this democracy. We will continue to remember Buhari for his past antecedents and his current attitude to undermine our democracy. If you look at the way things are going on in this country presently, I am sure those who had promoted Buhari would have a rethink.
The N2.3bn arms deal has been generating varied reactions. What's your take on this issue?
I agree with them. We should all fight corruption. I want to remind them that when the third term agenda came up, Obasanjo gave N50 million to each of the senators and the House of Representatives members. All I am saying is that the security votes under the National Security Adviser (NSA) is part of the prerogative of the President at a given time to stabilise the country. While I am not saying it must be misused, I am equally saying what goes around must come round. I am saying it very expressly that during the election in Ghana when Obasanjo was there, a lot of things went wrong which needed to be open for the public to see, like the on-going arms deal investigations.
President Buhari must be bold enough to go beyond Jonathan's and let us look at all the NSAs in office in the last 16 years. He should go a little further. The Halliburton case is still there. Why is the president shying away to look in there? I am telling you, corruption is even higher under Buhari than ever before.
There are 16 things that will happen in the country in 2016. I am going to publish it later. There would be so much of disobedience to court order, there will be removal of the oil subsidy within the first quarter of 2016, corruption under Buhari will be on the increase, poverty in this country under Buhari will be like never before. I want to equally establish that power generation under Buhari will be at its lowest ebb in 2016; our earnings will be critical and worse. I can't remember others as I speak but I will publish them later. We cannot continue with this propaganda. I want to say that Buhari should make public, in the last 16 years, finances under the NSA. Who is fooling who?
Are you not afraid of your safety as you continue to attack the present and past president of the country?
My brother, forget that one! This year, I am 55, I will be 56 next year. If I die today, I have five sons. They will do a big party. People will console them that your father lived an exemplary life - he was governor twice. They will still move on and enjoy my wealth. Those things we fear most happen to us eventually. I am not a coward, life is not about how many years you live, but what you stand to represent. Within or outside Ekiti, I don’t use siren. I don’t carry policemen or SSS about. I don’t need them. If you come, you are only wasting your time because I have nothing to hide. There is even no money for anybody to steal.
The very day the Buhari-administration faces me, his government will come down, quote me. The very day Buhari singles me out, I am a child of destiny. Any government that confronts me will come down, it will not stand the test of time. Why would you muscle everybody because we are opposed to you? I am in the PDP. I will never go to any other party. I am Ayo Fayose. I was governor without a godfather. I was there for three and a half years before Obasanjo took me out. I am back now. There is no lion again in Nigeria. We own this country together. I am Ayo Fayose. I am from Ekiti popularly known as Osokomole.
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