Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has said former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Dayo Adeyeye cursed him when he phoned him to plead with him to accept the result of Tuesday’s governorship primary election in good faith.
Governor Fayose stated this, on Wednesday night, while answering questions on a radio and television programme on state channels in Ado-Ekiti.
In a statement on Thursday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, he quoted the governor as saying that he had twice called Adeyeye on the outcome of the primary election which Adeyeye lost to Fayose’s deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
“I called Prince Adeyeye twice and on each occasion, he rained curses on me and would not even listen to what I had to say. He said I should never call him again. I am not afraid of the curses because I know I have not done anything to warrant that or for the curses to have any effect on me.
” By the constitution of our party, I have the right to support anybody for any position, just like I have the right to vote for anybody during elections. I did not hide my preference for my deputy among those seeking to succeed me as governor in our party, so, I was surprised at his reaction.
“If it was him that I supported for the position, would he have done that? The process through which our candidate emerged followed due process. I did not interfere with the process and I did not manipulate anything in favour of anybody. How many state governors have supported their deputies to aspire to be governors? I have nothing personal against anybody and Olusola has been loyal, effective and committed as my deputy and I cannot repay him in a bad manner,” he said.
Fayose said he took the step to reach out to Adeyeye in line with the spirit of sportsmanship and the need to reconcile with any aggrieved person.
Recall that Adeyeye lost the primary election by 771 votes to 1190 votes scored by Olusola.
After the voting by delegates ended, both Adeyeye and Olusola were asked for their opinions about the exercise by the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and they both praised the conduct of the exercise.
In fact, Adeyeye said it was fair, transparent and credible and that Okowa was becoming an expert in organising conventions and congresses, as it was Okowa that organised last December’s National Convention of the PDP in Abuja.