Ayo Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State on Friday officially reacted to the rumoured governorship ambition of immediate
past governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi saying he prays All Progressives Congress (APC) picks him (Fayemi) as its flag bearer in 2018 poll.
The governor also said that he has not withdrawn from the 2019 presidential race in spite of the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had zoned the ticket to the north.
Fayose said he decided to soft-pedal on his campaign because of the July 14, 2018 Ekiti governorship poll, saying the campaign will begin to gain traction after the state election.
“I am waiting for him (Fayemi) and praying that APC picks him. I want to see how the teachers and other people of Ekiti would vote him, we are waiting.”
The governor added that he would repeat a resounding victory against Dr Kayode Fayemi, if he is picked as the candidate of the APC, saying he is not threatened by his rumoured ambition.
On the agitations of some PDP aggrieved aspirants that Fayose should be prevented from interfering with the primary, the governor assured that the state has no role to play in the shadow election, saying it remains the prerogative of the Chief Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee.
Speaking during an interactive session with teachers in public primary and secondary schools at the government house in Ado Ekiti, Fayose said: “I am still in the presidential race I am only waiting for the time Ekiti governorship election will hold so I can have the time.
Though, I am making contacts, I am reaching out to the people that matter across the country.” On the primary election in Ekiti, Fayose said: “I have no role to play, only the NWC will present the delegate lists for them to elect the candidate, so I won’t interfere despite my support for Prof Kolapo Olusola.
“I have no regret supporting Olusola, if it were those people I had supported, they won’t be abusing me. But they remain our brothers and sisters and we are going to put our house in order at the right time so that we can be on the same page”, Fayose added.
Addressing the teachers, Fayose appealed to them to support Olusola the way they did to him in June 21, 2014 governorship election, where he defeated Dr. Fayemi.
He promised not to owe the teachers a dime at the expiration of his tenure on October 15, 2018, saying 1000 teachers will begin to benefit certain financial benefits from him commencing from the end of this month to give them a sense of belonging in his government.
