Mark my word, Jonathan’ll win again –Fayose

Why is Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, spending millions of naira to oppose the candidature of General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) on pages of newspapers?

You may also want to ask why he is campaigning passionately for President Goodluck Jonathan, at the time his government is facing serious financial problems? The people also want to know why Fayose was unable to celebrate his first 100 days in office and what he is doing to ensure Ekiti people who voted for him en masse about six months ago do not regret? Can his Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) still record a landslide victory in the coming election as it did during gubernatorial election last year? These are some of the questions Ad­egbite threw at him when this reporter had a chanced opportunity to quiz him in his office, Ado – Ekiti, recently. These are excerpts from the exclusive inter­view which lasted just 5 minutes.

What challenges have your administration faced in your first 100 days in office and how are you handling them?

Well, I have said it repeatedly and it is public knowledge that Ekiti has a lot of financial issues and we still have it. Beyond Ekiti too, the dwin­dling oil fortunes is another major problem too. The borrowing by the immediate past adminis­tration has handicapped this government. That is the truth. It is like any major family, if you don’t have funds you could hardly do whatever you want to do. Within the ambit of availability of funds we are doing our best. We might not be able to move as much as we have loved to move, but we are bringing experience to bear. And we are doing everything possible to take advantage of the people who can assist us to navigate our challenges. But substantially it is financial. The payment of the outstanding salary arrears has been impossible because I have only got three allocations since I got here. And before I got here, owing workers salaries was the order of the day.

Since I got here I have renegotiated some of our debts, at least to give us leeway to stabilise and pay some of our debts. We have been able to pay salaries. We have been paying salaries with all deductions sent to the workers. Not that alone, I had paid the salaries of workers for January on January 21; which was the trend when I was here between2003 and 2006.

And I want to let them (workers) know that I am still working hard. And at the slightest op­portunity we would be able to deal with the is­sues of salary. I prefer not to do any other work and ensure salaries are paid to doing a lot of projects and not pay workers because so many lives are supported by these salaries. That is why so many emotions, feelings are attached to the issues of salaries. In some states in the South- West, they are owing workers three months and even more than that but as God will continue to help me the issue of salary is a priority.

If you go by our programmes, in areas of welfare and stomach infrastructure, these are what we are talking about. There is no point using money you could use to pay the salaries of workers to do other businesses or go into other things apart from giving them that right to earn their wages as and when due. We have Leave Bonus outstanding, we have the actual wage outstanding which were not paid by the last administration. I hope, by the grace of God that as time goes on, we would be able to pay.

Do you have any regret over the way the last administration ran the state?

You see, one thing about me is that I don’t want to talk about the past administration anymore because as the Chief Executive I am to find solution to the problems they created. Once in a while, where it is necessary to show the background of where the debt is coming from, we can talk about it. But I don’t want to dwell on it. If they have done well Ekiti people would not have voted me into power. but because they didn’t do well and the wanted someone who can clean the mess and redeem this state, that is why they voted for me.

You see I am used to clearing debts.Y ou see APC (All Progressives Congress) are fond of taking bonds, getting loans and leaving debts for next government. The last time I came it was debt and debt and debt that I met in 2003 . I came, cleared the debt and left a huge some of money, about N10.4Billion in the cover of government (in 2006). I am glad Dr Kayode Fayemi admitted that he only met N3.5Billion in the cover when he took over from PDP administration of Engr. Segun Oni (in October 2010).

So, that means I am doing well. And this time around I need the patience of the people. I am not a magician. How many months now? Just three months. I am sure that with the patience of the people we would overcome these chal­lenges.

Apart from payment of salaries, what can you point at as your achievement within your first 100 days?

Number one is the new market built along Baptist Church and Post Office Road (in Ado- Ekiti) constructed by us. There is another road being constructed off Mattew Street, and the rehabilitation of Mattew Street, Odo-Ado Road (in Ado-Ekiti). The security vehicles purchased for the security agencies would be commis­sioned too on Monday. One thing with me is that I have seen this commissioning of these projects here and there as a routine. To me the word commissioning should not be something one should be doing to show-off or play politics with, that I want to commission this and that. I will still do the commissioning if it is going to sound right in the ears of my political oppo­nents. We would do it for them to make them happy. We are very proactive about doing drainages. At the end of the day we would ensure that everything that needs to be rehabilitated is reha­bilitated. Road maintenance is going on where it is needed. Work is already on-going between Ayetoro- Ekiti, Ewu and Iye-Ekiti. Construction work is going on between Opopogboro and Afao Road. Construction work is going on be­tween Opopogboro to link Police Headquarters. Our target again, beyond this, is our one year in office. Ours is to give our best, we are not into competition with anybody. We are only here to please the people, and within the available resources; because we don’t have the resources. We would do our best.

People say you are very passionate about President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in the coming election, why are you so passionate about him since you are not the only PDP governor in Nigeria?

Nigerians don’t like the truth, human beings don’t like the truth generally. My position is not only about being passionate about Jonathan, because I am a PDP member. I am a loyal per­son. Even if you abandon yourself, I will never abandon you. People know me for that. I am a loyal man, I don’t care about what the people say. The moment you show me a trace of loyalty I will live for you. Jonathan deserves to be president again. I am not a pretender. I will say it anywhere. If he is not doing very well I will tel l you he is not doing very well. Nigerians do not appreciate people until they leave office.

It is regrettable that the APC is a collection of strange bed fellows. People whose agenda is conspiracy, where you see snakes, goats and lions co-existing over night. Conspirators don’t make it to heaven. And these APC people can­not make it to the Government House inA buja because they are conspirators. Obasanjo that is criticizing Jonathan is a PDP member either formerly or presently. Some of the governors who defected were part of the sixteen years administration of the PDP. They have all done their first tenure.

They were part of the sixteen years. I re­member a comment made by the APC, General Buhari was saying he is going to banish poverty, but the poorest states in Nigeria, Zamfara and Sokoto, are APC controlled states. So we should be realistic and should not fool ourselves. So, for me, my position about Jonathan, I am loyal. I am PDP man. I am working for Jonathan.

The second leg is that let’s call a spade a spade. Don’t say the truth only when it is conve­nient for us. We should see truth as a way of life. Do you understand? In a situation when your brother is an armed robber you don’t say no, it is not like that; simply because it would afect you. That is not principle. That is not ideology, it is “roguelogy”, from the word rogue. So, the other leg is that if it were to be PDP that is carry­ing Buhari about at 72; Buhari is a grandfather, grandpa. If it is PDP, the APC would have used propaganda to destroy them.

In Nigeria, anyone who is between the ages of 35 and 60 you can become the president of this country. We are talking of active age. Even if it is 65. Are we saying we cannot get a man who is young at heart enough, that can pilot the affairs of this country? You will see the gullies in Buhari’s neck. He is weak. It is not his fault. He is tired. Since the beginning of this millennium did you see America, Britain, Germany, Japan, China or Russia electing a 70-year-old man as their president?

The challenges of leadership in this age demands the energy of young people, the old people would be at the background ofering their wise counsel. Why do you have age 65 as maximum retirement age in every organisation and corporate establishment in Nigeria?

I am telling you, mark my word, Buhari would never win. I want you to mark it. Jona­than will win again. Buhari cannot win. Let us watch events. PDP is a party with a great spread. It is like Ekiti now, would I come out and say there is no APC here?

No! There is APC. To what degree is the issue. So is the spread of PDP everywhere. We have 21 states out of the 36 states.W e are not selling propaganda. We are telling them that we are actually existing everywhere. The margin may not be as it was in 2011 but we will still win. Some people are saying if Buhari gets there would he not run after me?

This is not his Kingdom. If I don’t want Buhari to come to my state, he would not come . I am not somebody you can harass. Politics is issue of choice. I have chosen Jonathan. Jonathan is my choice. They chose Buhari and that is politics. The president is supposed to be president of everybody. Jonathan is the president and he would still remain the president. Do you understand?

I am saying with all due respect, I do not wan t Buhari to die and that is why I am raising the alarm now. I am raising an alarm that this man is tired, weak and not strong enough. Nigeria youths, we have active youths, out of the over 160 million population. We have over 75,000 active individuals between ages 35 and 65. We should look for men who have what it takes. I am sorry to say this, if they vote Buhari we are only voting analogue president. In a debate they should give telephone to General Buhari to type love letter to his own Hajia. Or they should give him a word processor and let him log on to the Internet, he would miss it. Some people want to possess Nigeria and that is why they want to put Buhari there. They have an agenda. Like I said, one day I would be vindicated either in the office or out of office. Buhari is tired, weak; a 75-year-old man, when we are not in Zimbabwe. I take excep­tion, with all due respect. Whoever becomes Nigeria president cannot tell me I cannot work in Ekiti, so what is the big deal!?

You predicted your victory when the gov­ernorship election was coming last year. What do you have to say about the coming national and state assemblies elections in Ekiti?

That should be taken for granted. Where would APC get votes from. I won in all the 16 local government areas in the state, in 158 wards. They went to court, I defeated them in court. Maybe you don’t know my political history. If it were to be in the Bible days they would have written about me, maybe they would be calling me Psalm 153 or Psalm 151 written about the God’s grace in Ayo Fayose.

The first Ekiti man to defeat two incumbent governors in each attempt. A man who went on exile and came back to unseat two incum­bent governors. This Fayose did not just unseat the incumbent but defeated the incumbent governor in the whole 16 local government areas in the state and in 158 wards, in a free , fear and transparent election.

Mark my word, I am the first person in Nigeria history to defeat incumbent governors on two occasions. I am popular and it is God who has made me popular. And you see, I am not a pretender. I am not going to say yes just to impress you. My no remains my no. Even if you bring heaven to bear, I will stand there. I am a clear a person. It is not what we ea t that make us fat but the grace of God that are abound in our lives.

I want you to mark it. Jonathan will win.

Interview by Charles Adegbite for the Sun