Tinubu’s plight a plot to undermine Yoruba race –Fayose

Though both men belong to different political divides, which have been trying to take control of the south west geo political divide, Ekiti State’s Governor Ayodele Fayose on Friday rose in defence of former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Fayose is a governor on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, while Tinubu is a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)

Fayose described insinuations that Senator Tinubu tried to prevent Professor Yemi Osinbajo from emerging as Vice President and attacks on the former Lagos State governor as plot to undermine not only Tinubu, but the entire Yoruba race.

Fayose who stated this Friday also condemned the protest last Tuesday against Tinubu at the party’s national secretariat, wondering why the President Muhammadu Buhari government would vilify the APC national leader despite Tinubu investing heavily for the success of the party.

The Ekiti State governor decried the fact that those who are part of the conspiracy against Tinubu are his “fellow kinsmen that he brought up politically”.

He made this known in a statement through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, adding that “if Tinubu is allowed to be embarrassed and disgraced just the way our past leaders were humiliated by these same elements, the Yoruba nation would have been made to suffer for uprightness.”

The Statement read, “Humiliation of Tinubu is as good as humiliation of the Yoruba race. Even though I am not a member of APC and I will never be. I have to stand in defence of the Yoruba nation once again by saying no to the continuous dishonourable treatment being meted to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, having paid his dues.

“In their desperation, they have even tried to set him against the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, by insinuating that he tried to prevent his (Osinbajo) emergence as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate, this is sad!

“When other tribes protect own, it is becoming historically common among the Yorubas to allow themselves to be used against their leaders just for momentary political gains at the expense of the collective interests of the Yoruba nation.

“It should be noted that late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was sent to jail by the conspiracy and collaboration of some Yorubas with the external aggressors. Tinubu is a prominent stakeholder; we should not sit back and watch while those he used his own sweat to make conspired with others to humiliate him.

Read also: President’s biography threatens to tear Buhari-Tinubu apart

“Most importantly, it is my position that irrespective of political affiliation, no leader of the Yoruba nation must be vilified unduly, especially by the same people who humiliated our past leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Bola Ige, Bisi Onabanjo, Lateef Jakande and others.

“To me, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not be seen just as an APC leader, but acknowledged as a major stakeholder in the Yoruba nation that we must all protect beyond politics.

”It should be recalled that these were among the issues that I raised when I visited Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State few months ago on the need to work together beyond party affiliations.

“Here in Yorubaland, it is said that if a household is at peace, it is because the bastard child of the family is yet to attain the age of maturity and those people that Asiwaju Tinubu made, but are now being used against him should watch it.

“I therefore condemn this conspiracy against Asiwaju Tinubu and I admonish those that are hoping to make political benefits from it to have a rethink. We are first Yorubas before becoming members of political parties, it is my opinion that our leaders must be defended and protected not-minding the personal gains of today.”

President Buhari’s recently published biography, authored by Prof. John Paden, and titled ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria’, had insinuated that Tinubu tried to stop Osinbajo from emerging as the running mate to then General Muhammadu Buhari.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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