Tobias Sylvester
A former senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has lambasted former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, for “demarketing” two presidential hopefuls in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fayose, who recently declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidency, had questioned the morality of the presidential ambitions of former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar and former senate president, Bukola Saraki.
On Wednesday, Fayose was seen eating amala and ewedu at an Abuja restaurant after purchasing his nomination form to contest for the PDP’s presidential ticket.
Hours later, the former governor featured on a television programme on Wednesday, where he condemned the renewed bid by Atiku and Saraki to rule the country.
Fayose accused them of contributing to the PDP loss of power in 2015 when they went to align with the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dino Melaye Attacks Ayodele Fayose
in a statement on Thursday, the former senator said the ex-overnor is “demarketing” serious contenders in PDP to increase the chance of his political godfather in the APC.
Melaye asked the national leadership of the PDP to warn Fayose about his utterances, adding that the presidency is a serious engagement that is beyond “eating amala and ewedu”.
The statement reads, “Inebriated by several wraps of amala in Abuja, former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, in his characteristic exuberance directed indecent and indecorous attacks at two serious contenders for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party, HE Atiku Abubakar and HE Bukola Saraki.
“Incidentally, the mauling of amala gained more publicity over the collection of the presidential nomination form, in a pretentious exhibition of dining with the masses.
“This frugal populism has since been deflated by allegations of charges for the ferreting of billions of naira from public coffers in Ekiti State. Is amala and abula so expensive?
“The issue before Nigerians now is not who can eat more but who can produce food. That is why the attempt to tar the outstanding achievements of Atiku Abubakar as former vice-president and Bukola Saraki as former senate president by Fayose would be discounted as the belching perfidy of a presidential gambler.
“It is clear from the verbal missiles deployed by Fayose that he was simply de-marketing frontline aspirants in PDP as a counterintuitive strategy to shore up the chances of his political godfather in APC.
“The contest for the ticket of PDP and the presidency of Nigeria is a serious engagement. Those who aspire to the position must elevate themselves above pedestrian conduct and address real issues, rather than dwelling on inconsequential inanities.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Fayose had recently kicked against the consensus candidacy in the PDP, vowing that he will not drop his 2023 presidential ambition for any aspirant.
