Obasanjo speech at Fayose birthday has renewed their years-long hostility.
Newsone Nigeria reports that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, have renewed their years-long hostility just days after they appeared to have settled their differences and given peace a chance.
This online news platform understands that the collapse of their relationship surfaced in a blistering “thank-you” message the former Ekiti governor sent to former President Obasanjo for attending his 65th birthday celebration.
The message, which was far from being complimentary, launched an attack on Mr Obasanjo, describing him as someone who should be kept away in the zoo.
The confrontation marks a new chapter in the long-running frosty relationship between the two men, dating back to Mr Fayose’s 2006 removal as Ekiti State governor. Until their recent seeming reconciliation, Fayose took every opportunity to publicly lambast Obasanjo.
In a statement released in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday, November 18, Kehinde Akinyemi, Special Assistant on Media to Obasanjo, said the former president received an SMS from Mr Fayose, which he described as a “thank-you letter.”
The tone of the message, however, was far from appreciative. The statement captured both Fayose’s text message and Obasanjo’s reply. The messages made public by Obasanjo’s camp were believed to be meant to be private messages between the two warring politicians.
In the text, Fayose thanked Obasanjo for attending his birthday event but accused him of making “very irresponsible comments” during the gathering.
“Dear Baba Obasanjo, I trust this meets you well. Your coming to my birthday party, I appreciate except for your very irresponsible comments at your age. You went so low but I am not surprised because someone once said you are supposed to be kept away in the zoo. Sincerely that’s where you belong.” he wrote.
The former governor escalated the insults, calling Mr Obasanjo “a mad man” and claiming the ex-president was in a “heightened stage of dementia”:
“I kept quiet or did not reply you at the function so that the world will know the difference between a sane and a mad man that you are. It is also obvious that you have also lost your sanity OR should I say is the heightened stage of dementia. Not to worry Baba., I shall set the records straight in due course of time,” he said
Fayose further demanded Mr Obasanjo return money he gave him to cover his flight from Rwanda to attend his birthday celebration held on Saturday.
“Lastly I shall appreciate if you return my money since you publicly admitted you received but Dangote brought u back,” he added.
Responding through his media aide, Obasanjo thanked the former Ekiti governor for the message, saying it “undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable.”
On the money, Mr Obasanjo said it had been returned.
““Your money has been sent back through Foluso Adeagbo who brought it and in the same bag as he brought it unopened by me,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Newsone reports that the reaction of the former Ekiti governor is a result of Obasanjo speech at Fayose birthday where the former president mixed praise with sharp rebuke.
At the event, the former president said, “You are not the best of my political children, you are not… But you have made achievements that must not be ignored,” he said.
Obasanjo added that the invitation to the event was not extended directly by Fayose, but rather through former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka.
“When Osita came to me and said, ‘Ayo,’ I asked, ‘Ayo who?’ He said Ayo Fayose. I told him to tell him, the message has been delivered,” Mr Obasanjo said.
The former president also revealed that some associates had warned him not to attend because of Fayose’s past insults.
He said, “Before I started coming here, some people called me… ‘Can’t you remember that he abused you?’ I said, ‘Thank you for reminding me.’”
Despite the rocky relationship, Mr. Obasanjo said Mr. Fayose had apologised to him on more than one occasion in the past.
Obasanjo recalled what was suspected to be foul play when he visited Ekiti State as president on the invitation of then-Governor Fayose to inaugurate a poultry project.
“And I turned to you and said Ayo, ‘your chicks don’t poo?’ And I heard your brother, Oyinlola, saying to you quietly that ‘If he doesn’t know anything, he knows poultry.’”
