Weep Not For Fayose, Weep For Nigeria

By Femi Fani-Kayode

“When Fayose won in 2014, the whole of Ekiti erupted with joy. In 2018 the APC “won” and all the streets of Ekiti are looking so gloomy. The people are sad because their will has been truncated”

— Adeolu Daramola

My friend and brother, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, is not infallible. He is not an angel and like every other mortal, he has his own fair share of faults, excesses and shortcomings. We do not agree on everything and neither do we always share the same opinion on matters of state and policy.

*Gov Ayodele Fayose 

I should add this: some of his friends are my sworn enemies and some of my friends are his, yet nothing and no-one can come between us. That is the nature of our covenant and deep bond which has its roots well above politics, which was borne through our shared love of the Living God and the Gospel of Christ and which was established and forged by the blood of Jesus. Our differences in terms of style and approach only brings us closer and serves to make our friendship stronger. And despite his regular displays of strong emotions, what a profoundly good and insightful man he is.

In terms of courage, compassion, decency, the love of his people and a yearning for truth and justice he stands head above shoulder virtually every other political leader in the country. And permit me to add this: even if I am the only one left in the country that is willing to do so, I will stand by him till the end. That is the nature of the man that the Buhari administration robbed, beat, slapped, humiliated and insulted last week and that they are now planning to utterly destroy.

 Yet despite the abysmal behaviour and shameless criminality of INEC, the ruling-APC and Buhari’s minions during the conduct of the governorship election last saturday Fayose has nothing to be ashamed of and, in my view, he remains the epitomy of courage, truth, loyalty, decency, compassion and righteousness. He stood for truth and he dared the powers that be in the name of the Most High God. Regardless of what we see today and what we witnessed on saturday, that God shall never forsake or leave him and in the end he will have the last laugh and be vindicated. The bitter truth is that the Ekiti election was a sham.

The APC paid 4000 naira for each vote that they got and, in collusion with INEC officials, they used the police and security agencies to drive away PDP agents and supporters from voting and collation centres. They also shut down the local television and radio stations to prevent the truth from being exposed. This was a trago-comedy of the highest degree. As Josef Stalin, the dreaded Russian tyrant, once said, “the people who cast the votes decide nothing but the people who count the votes decide everything”.

I say weep not for Fayose, Professor Kolapo Olusola (the PDP governorship candidate), or the PDP but rather weep for the good people of Ekiti state, Yorubaland and Nigeria. Worst of all is the fact that the daylight robbery that took place on saturday is actually a test run for 2019. Those that are laughing at Fayose and making jest of his misfortunes and his efforts to defend the true wishes and will of the Ekiti people will get their own at that time.

I say this because the beast that seeks to devour him and the people of Ekiti seeks to devour us all. When the jihadists, herdsmen and members of Nigeria’s “master race” start terrorising and butchering the good people of Ekiti state, the south-west and the south, just as they are already doing to the people of the Middle Belt, no-one should be surprised and neither should they complain because that is the nature of the beast that has broken the gate and forced itself into their land and homes.

Those that collected cash from the APC in return for their votes have unknowingly sold their souls, sovereignty, destiny independence and birthright to the agents of a cabal For a measly 4000 naira they have traded in their liberty and freedom in return for the dictates, whims and caprices of a wicked group of heartless and cruel men I have not mentioned any names but the creatures that I am referring to know who they are. I have always said that Dr. Kayode Fayemi is my friend who I have known for many years and who I have always liked, respected and had a soft spot for. The same goes for Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the former Governor of Ekiti state and the leader of the APC in Ekiti, who is not only a family friend of over 50 years standing but also a dear brother. I do not bear any animosity towards either of the two or towards Senator Femi Ojudu, another friend of mine, who is also a strong APC leader in Ekiti state either.

However I consider those that they represent and who sent them to enslave the southewest and the people of the south with cattle colonies, herdsmen, cows, a Janjaweed ethos and a jihadist philosophy as my perpetual, mortal and eternal enemies before whom I can and will never bow. That is where I draw the line and that is our only point of departure. Outside of that I have no malice for or axe to grind with any of the leaders of the APC in Ekiti state or indeed anywhere else in Yorubaland.

We simply belong to different teams and and different political camps. And this is for good reason. For those that doubt it let us consider our plight in Nigeria today. Insecurity is at its peak. The mass murder, ethnic cleansing and commission of genocide against innocent and defenceless Nigerians is unprecedented. Our nation is more divided than ever before. Our economy is in shambles and poverty stalks the land.

The senior cadre of our Armed Forces are aggrieved because President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to appoint new Service Chiefs since the tenure of the old ones expired. The democratic process has been subverted as votes are procured with public funds and elections are rigged with the apparatus of the state. People no longer see or believe that their PVC is their weapon because few believe that we can ever have a free and fair election in our country as long as Buhari remains in power.

The list goes on and on and it is one lamentation after another. Rev. Martin Luther King jnr. once said “to ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it”. How right he was. And many in our nation today, out of fear, stupidity and cowardice, have chosen to simply ignore the evil that took place in Ekiti on Saturday. Yet even worse than them are those that have chosen to applaud the evil and celebrate it simply to spite Fayose. They forget that to applaud injustice is not only shortsighted and evil in itself but that it is also a graphic and singular manifestation of witchcraft and sorcery. The truth is that those that delight in the suffering, misfortune and humiliation of others and that refuse to stand up and speak for the victims of injustice, wickedness and tyranny are doomed to failure and eternal shame and are best described as the children of darkness. Many in our country are troubled by the many challenges that the Ekiti debacle has thrown up and even more understand and discern its solemn implications. As examples of some of those concerns permit me to share the insightful words of two respected public commentators and discerning intellectuals about the implications of what happeed in Ekiti.

The first, Prince Otoks Dan Princewill, wrote the following. “Is it not now clear? Who wants to know more? Who wants to be further schooled? This PVC matter needs a sincere government to function properly. We have in place a government that looks away as Nigerians are slaughtered. We have a government who moved in 30,000 officers to rig an election and has a Division sitting on its thumbs in a place less than an hour away where Nigerians are slaughtered in a killing orgy for days. We have a government who encouraged a police officer to slap and rough handle a Governor. We have a government that has appointed the entire security architecture from a section of the country. And yes, we have a country where conscience is for sale for 4000 naira and many say it is overpriced. We must therefore retool. We must redirect and reset. We must match the bar to where things have been raised. We cannot afford to assume anything. As at now, count 2019 lost. Unless we retool.  It is not about PVCs and registration. It is about so much more”.

On his part Elder Michael Orobator wrote: “…I have said it before and FFK strongly reiterated same that the Fulani, most comfortable in situations of strife and warfare, will not leave us alone until we weed out the Fayemis, Oshiomoles, Oyeguns, Amaechis et al from our midst”.

Can any reasonable person dispute the insightful assertions of these two elderly, wise, experienced and discerning men? Permit me to conclude this contribution with the words of Peter “the Rock” himself. After the rape of democracy that took place in Ekiti state on July 14th he said: “I am Peter Ayodele Fayose, I hold my head high. I can never be suppressed. I don’t lose battles and I will not lose this. I will laugh last. The President should note what the Bible says which applies to him. ‘He that wears the armour should not boast as he that removes it.’ It is only Buhari that will pride himself with the security shooting sporadically at polling centres, scaring people to pave the way for APC thugs to snatch ballot boxes”.

These are strong and prophetic words from a Spirit-filled soldier of Christ and a courageous and strong lion of the realm. He concluded by saying “Buhari’s EFCC is threatening me, as if Buhari will remain in power forever. Is the EFCC the Court?” How right he is! May God deliver our nation and may He guide, lead, strengthen and vindicate Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose and the good people of Ekiti state. 

*Femi Fani-Kayode is former Nigerian Aviation Minister