By Chesa Chesa
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, on Thursday, met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying afterwards that he will be the first to criticize the president if he goes back on campaign promises.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Fayose, however, noted that Tinubu had done well since coming into office and should be encouraged.
The former Governor said since elections are over, and it is time to govern, and Nigerians need to rally round the president who he said is alert and has a clear direction he wants to take the country.
According to the governor, President Tinubu cannot do it alone.
Even though he and some opposition party leaders such as Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, are working with Tinubu, he can never join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as he remains a member of the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fayose said he did not expect Tinubu to fail, noting that if there is any delay, it will not be a deliberate act on the part of the president, because “Tinubu means well for the country”.
His words: “The steps so far taken (by Tinubu) can readily give us the direction of this government. Elections have come and gone, without prejudice to the courts. But it’s no more time for campaign or selling a political party, it is time to govern Nigeria for the benefit of children yet unborn and those of us that are still here.
“I had a very wonderful time with the President. You will see him very alert and very clearly in the direction he wants to take the country, but he can’t do it alone, he needs all of us.
“Whosoever is in this saddle is Nigeria is Nigeria on the saddle and we must stand by him”.
Faoyes stressed that “Nigerians know me very well when President Buhari was to come. From day one, I made it very clear that the President will not do well. I did not hide, I was open to it and I said it repeatedly.
“May I say to you, ladies and gentlemen of the press, let me tell you, if Asiwaju turns back on his promise, all he said when he was campaigning, I will be the first to talk. I am not timid, and I don’t shy away from facing challenges.
“I don’t eulogize and I don’t praise to curry favour, I am no more a small boy. Let me tell you, the man I saw today and for the actions we have seen, means well for Nigeria.
“But if there’s any reason to derail, it will not be deliberate and we will all be able to draw his attention to his brief as the President and Commander-in-Chief of our country. Let us be optimistic, let us be hopeful and let us believe that there will be a turn around.
“If the government in power is not doing the right thing, we’ll be courageous enough to tell the government in power. That was why I told you, when Buhari was President in this country I didn’t shy away from telling him the truth and the government.
“May I say to you, I’ve said here, that if the President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, is shying away from his brief, I Ayo Fayose, Oshoko, will be courageous enough to tell him.
“You see, I’m 63, I’m not a small boy anymore. I stand by what I say. I want to assure you that you don’t have to be in a political party to stand up and in opposition. But you don’t oppose when you don’t need to oppose though. You don’t fight an innocent person if that person has not done anything wrong.”
He added: “I will never be a member of the APC. I am a PDP man, if anything takes me out of the PDP or if I don’t do partisan politics again, I will be the husband of my wife at home.
“It is not a matter of party, Nigeria is bigger than all political parties and all interest groups. I want to tell you again, you don’t have to take an appointment to make a difference.
“Nigeria is about 200 million population, we all can’t be on appointment, whosoever makes it, either in the APC or in the attempt to have a government of national unity, it’s all about service.
“May I say to you expressly, I am not a desperate person at all, but I don’t shy away and I will never shy away to give direction wherever I am. I am with this government, without apologies.”
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