Ask Us for Forgiveness not Votes: Fayose tells Buhari

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has
said that the All Progressives Congress
Presidential Candidate, Muhammadu Buhari,
should seek forgiveness and not votes from the
people of the Yoruba land and even those in Edo
and Delta States.
“Buhari’s coup of 1983 destroyed the Southwest
and the old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta) as
it put an end to the developmental programmes
of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Unity Party
of Nigeria (UPN) government in the Southwest
States of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Ondo, as well as
Bendel State,” Mr. Fayose said.
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka,
Mr. Fayose said Mr. Buhari meted out inhuman
treatment to Yoruba leaders like Obafemi
Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola
Ige, Lateef Jakande and the immediate past APC
National Chairman, Bisi Akande, all of whom
championed development and good governance in
the Southwest States.
The governor described Mr. Buhari’s cancellation
of the Lagos metroline project in 1985 as the
greatest disservice to the Yoruba people in
particular, and Nigerians in general.
“If Buhari had not cancelled the metroline
project out of vendetta, transportation problems
in Lagos would have been solved permanently.
“The metroline project would have made life
easier and changed the face of transport in
Lagos. But Buhari cancelled it and even went
ahead to pay compensation to the French
company that handled it. Buhari’s action cost
Lagosians over $78 million then,” Mr. Fayose
said.
Speaking further, the governor said; “In
Yorubaland, we were enjoying free education and
free health before Buhari came. Then, all that
was needed to go to primary and secondary
schools was school uniform. Drugs were free.

“Apart from free education and free health, the
Southwest witnessed rapid development. Lagos
State University, Ogun State University (now
Olabisi Onabanjo University), Ondo State
University (now Ekiti State University), Ondo
State Polytechnic (now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic),
and several other institutions were established.
“As at 1979, Lagos State had no secretariat.
Jakande’s government built the Alausa
Secretariat within four years. Ajasin’s
government built Alagbaka Secretariat in Akure
within four years. Even the Lekki-Epe road on
which they are now collecting tolls was
constructed by Jakande.
“For all that they did for us in Yorubaland, what
did Buhari do to Jakande, Ajasin, Bola Ige and
Bisi Onabanjo? He jailed them and Bisi Onabanjo
came out of prison with health issues that
eventually claimed his life.
“What did Buhari do to reward Awolowo, whose
party gave us free education and free health?
Awolowo’s international passport was seized and
he was prevented from travelling abroad for
medical treatment. Awolowo died two years
after!
“In 1984 that Buhari introduced school fees,
thousands of our youths then dropped out of
school.
“Therefore, Buhari who truncated the future of
many of our people and jailed our leaders who
served our land selflessly should be seeking
forgiveness from Yoruba people, not votes.”