APC Crisis: Governor Fayemi Slams Presidential Aide Over ‘Fabricated Report’ on Visit to Buhari

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has lashed out at President Buhari’s special adviser on political matters, Babafemi Ojudu over report of his alleged visit to the presidential villa in Abuja to secure President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for Victor Giadom as the Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fayemi who accused Ojudu of blackmail and being behind the “fabricated” report, stated that he had no plan nor reason to see President Buhari on Tuesday afternoon.

In statement released by his Chief Press Secretary Yinka Oyebode, Governor Fayemi said he met with Buhari earlier in company of three of his colleagues – Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa). Also present at that meeting were the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

The Ekiti state Governor who urged Nigerians to ignore the story which he said is a “highly illogical concoction”, said he later visited the presidential villa to meet with Buhari’s Chief of Staff Ibrahim Gambari, but not with Giadom.

The statement read;

“The attention of the general public is being drawn to a misleading publication… with headline ‘Fayemi’s failed mission to Villa with Giadom’, published in the online edition… on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.

“The falsehood, we gathered reliably, was fabricated by a senior aide of the Presidency and a former Senator, Babafemi Ojudu, and planted in The Nation Newspaper, after it was rejected by some State House Correspondents, who rebuffed the former Senator for the misleading and malicious story.

“It is on record that Senator Ojudu, in his desperate bid to rubbish Governor Fayemi, had told his close associates that he would battle Governor Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) with falsehood and cheap blackmail in his nefarious attempt to destabilize APC in Ekiti State.

“For the purpose of clarity, it is important to state that the Nation’s report was clearly a misleading one designed to cast aspersion on the person of Governor Fayemi and create an impression that the NGF Chairman is an unwanted visitor at the Villa. The largely unsubstantiated report was filled with bile, childish and unexplainable fury that signified nothing, just like a tale fit only for the tabloids.

“In setting the record straight, we hereby state unequivocally that Governor Fayemi had no plan nor reason to see Mr President on Tuesday late afternoon as maliciously presented in the Nation’s report. The Governor, had earlier seen Mr President at noon in company of three of his colleagues – Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa). Also present at that meeting were the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

“Governor Fayemi was in the villa later in the afternoon to see the COS and State Chief of Protocol (SCOP). The Ekiti State Governor was never denied any opportunity to see President Buhari as he did not ask to see the President and neither did he go with Chief Giadom.

“Governor Fayemi’s position on the APC crisis has been to consistently subsume his views in the position of the Progressives Governors Forum as expressed by the Chairman. He has not spoken on the party crisis in any public forum but continue to urge all members and lovers of the party to exercise restraint and support the leader of the party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other leaders desirous of resolution to give peace a chance.”