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Tag: Fayose

  • APC to Fayose: blackmail won’t save you

    APC to Fayose: blackmail won’t save you

    EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the alleged “spate of blackmail and lies” by Governor Ayodele Fayose to cause confusion in the party and ridicule its leaders.

    Its spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said this in a statement yesterday while reacting to media reports that former Speaker of the State House of Assembly Femi Bamisile begged Fayose to help facilitate his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The statement said the report was concocted by Fayose and his “discredited media aides” to cause confusion, ignite anger among APC members and put the former speaker in a weak position that would hurt his plan to strengthen the state APC.

    Olatunbosun, who noted that Bamisile’s rising popularity had sent jitters down Fayose’s spine, added that the governor’s past was “haunting him, making him feel unsafe over the fate that awaited him in the new dispensation, where the rule of law works”.

    “We are not surprised that Fayose has resorted to blackmail and lies to cause disaffection within the APC ranks as we have seen recently.

    “He started with me, lying that I was afflicted with a strange ulcer and that a spiritualist had advised me to beg him (the governor) and return to the PDP before the sore could be healed,” he said.

    The APC spokesman added that Fayose allegedly stage-managed a meeting with some traditional rulers to lure Bamisile into attendance in a popular hotel, where the governor was hiding and surprisingly burst into the meeting pleading with the former Speaker to return to the PDP, but which the ex-Speaker turned down only for Fayose to turn story against Bamisile to the dismay of the “innocent man”.

    “Few minutes after meeting, the news was all over the world that Bamisile had agreed to return to the PDP after meeting with Fayose.

     “This is the same way Fayose and his aides forged President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical report claiming that he had cancer only for the management of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital to dismiss the document as forgery, just as he lied during the campaign that he saw Buhari on sick bed when in actual fact the man was in far away London delivering a lecture.

    “This same Fayose blackmailed Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) by pasting his posters as a governorship aspirant in 2006, even when the elder statesman never contemplated any elective position,” he explained.

    The APC spokesman noted that the governor also blackmailed the state’s Chief Judge, Mr. Justice Ayodeji Daramola, alleging the he collected N200 million bribe from an APC chieftain to deliver guilty verdict in his election eligibility case. He alleged that Fayose was behind the fake story that former Governor Kayode Fayemi built a university in Ghana, which up till date, had neither a name nor location.

    “Because he has no plan for the development of Ekiti, Fayose has been consistently lying in the last 10 months that Fayemi left N86 billion debt only for the Debt Management Office to declare that Fayemi actually left a debt of N18.8 b.

    “He once denied collecting N2 billion ecological fund, but owned up when he got a hint that we were about investigating this through the FOI law just the same way he denied collecting N22 billion refund on roads.

    “He recently denied collecting N8.5 billion from the Federation Account in June 2015, even when the figures are on the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance for all to see,” Olatunbosun said.

    Accusing Fayose of always engaging in battles of survival, he said the governor had no time for governance, preferring to be in the throats of the opponents.”

    He urged APC members and the public to ignore Fayose’s lies against APC members, particularly the leaders, who were already turning around the fortunes of the party, but which was now causing headache for the governor.

    He warned Fayose against conduct that diminishes his office, even as he cautioned that the governor would not escape justice at the right time.

  • You can’t destroy Fayemi’s legacies, APC tells Fayose

    You can’t destroy Fayemi’s legacies, APC tells Fayose

    EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to Governor Ayo Fayose’s mocking of the legacies of his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as not worthy of emulation and sustaining.

    The APC, in a statement by its spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said rather than showing delight in destroying Fayemi’s legacies, “Fayose was not only destroying himself, but also mortgaging the future of Ekiti people through stomach infrastructure that provides a kilogramme of rice and three-month-old chicken at every Christmas”.

    Olatunbosun said Fayemi’s projects presented the best opportunities for the state to grow,  but Fayose has been hiding under non-existent debts to deny Ekiti people the needed development.

    He added that 10 months after inauguration, the governor could not point to any project he had initiated, except conducting road shows, including buying pepper and tomatoes in open markets, to pose as a friend of the poor, even when all he had done so far tended towards taking sufferings to the doorsteps of Ekiti people.

    “Fayose claimed that Ekiti owed N86 billion, when in reality the debt restructuring as released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) and published in ThisDay of Friday, August 21, 2015, confirmed Ekiti debt as N18. 8 billion after conversion to long-term bond.

    “This has shown that Fayose is a pathological and serial liar. Ekiti people should now ask Fayose, where he got the N8 billion figure he has been bandying around that does not allow him implement development projects, including payments of gratuities and pensions for several months while also refusing to pay last year September salaries and five months salaries to traditional rulers after collecting allocations for the payments,” he said.

    Olatunbosun also challenged Fayose to probe Fayemi, who has made himself available in the last 10 months, if he is sure of his allegations.

     

  • Fayose: We are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Fayose: We are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that his government was destroying the bad legacies left behind by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    Fayose, who was reacting to Fayemi’s interview in some newspapers in which he said that “his legacy was being destroyed,” said no responsible government will sustain a legacy of debt that was incurred on projects with no direct bearing on the welfare of the people.

    In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was necessary for Fayemi’s negative legacies to be destroyed. He added: “Even in the APC, his legacy of betrayal of Senator Bola Tinubu, the man who made him governor, is being destroyed.”

    “If he served Ekiti and its people well, why was it that he was roundly defeated in all the 16 local councils in the State in the June 21, 2014 governorship election and his party was also defeated 16 – 0 in the presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections?

    “Even, his own party men described his electoral defeat as the worst in Nigeria,” he said.

    The governor, who said it was shameful that Fayemi, who left two months’ salary and four months cooperative and unions deductions from workers salary, as well as pensions and gratuities unpaid could be talking about his legacies being destroyed.”

    The governor said; “When Fayemi became governor, he chose to close down two universities established by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Segun Oni and abandoned the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, claiming that the state could not fund more than one university.

    “The same Fayemi, who said Ekiti had no money to fund more than one university preferred to take N25 billion bond to build a new governor’s lodge, civic centre, pavilion and execute other irrelevant projects.

    “Furniture alone, in the N3.3bn governor’s lodge that he built for himself and his wife cost N604.9 million and Fayemi wants such legacy of profligacy to be sustained in Ekiti? We are sorry to tell him that we won’t sustain such legacy of waste.

  • Fayose: we are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Fayose: we are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that his government was destroying the bad legacies left behind by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    Fayose, who was reacting to Fayemi’s interview in some newspapers in which he said that “his legacy was being destroyed,” said no responsible government will sustain a legacy of debt that was incurred on projects with no direct bearing on the welfare of the people.

    In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was necessary for Fayemi’s negative legacies to be destroyed. He added: “Even in the APC, his legacy of betrayal of Senator Bola Tinubu, the man who made him governor, is being destroyed.”

    “If he served Ekiti and its people well, why was it that he was roundly defeated in all the 16 local councils in the state in the June 21, 2014 governorship election and his party was also defeated 16 – 0 in the Presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections?

    “Even, his own party men described his electoral defeat as the worst in Nigeria,” he said.

    The governor, who said it was shameful that Fayemi, who left two months’ salary and four months cooperative and unions deductions from workers salary, as well as pensions and gratuities unpaid could be talking about his legacies being destroyed.”

    The governor said: “When Fayemi became governor, he chose to close down two universities established by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Segun Oni and abandoned the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, claiming that the state could not fund more than one university.

    “The same Fayemi, who said Ekiti had no money to fund more than one university preferred to take N25 billion bond to build a new governor’s lodge, civic centre, pavilion and execute other irrelevant projects.

    “Furniture alone, in the N3.3bn governor’s lodge that he built for himself and his wife cost N604.9 million and Fayemi wants such legacy of profligacy to be sustained in Ekiti? We are sorry to tell him that we won’t sustain such legacy of waste.

    “Even vehicles bought for traditional rulers and political appointees, his government did not pay and uncompleted Oba Adejugbe General Hospital and State Pavilion were inaugurated with fanfare.

    “Today, Ekiti State is under the yoke of debt, courtesy of Fayemi’s mismanagement of the state resources and what we are destroying are those legacies of mis-governance he left behind.

    “One bad news that we must however tell Fayemi is that; we won’t only destroy his legacy of mis-governance and betrayal in Ekiti, we will also make sure that economic devourers like him will never taste power in the state.”

  • Ekiti PDP crisis: Court orders service of summons on Fayose’s faction, others

    Legal battle began yesterday on the festering factional crisis rocking the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with an Ado-Ekiti High Court ordering service of court processes on the factional loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The court also ordered substituted service on the PDP National Secretariat through the state chapter of the party.

    The suit was instituted by Tunde Olatunde, Tope Aluko, Afolayan Akutupu, Tunji Olanrewaju, Mrs. Busola Oyebode, Ganiyu Bankole and Femi Ogunleye.

    Defendants are PDP (first) , Idowu Faleye (second), Kola Kolade (third), Ajibola Samuel (fourth), Sina Animasaun (fifth), Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi, (sixth), Kola Lawal (seventh), Babade Ige (eighth),  Lateef Agbaje (ninth) and Ayo Ogungbuyi (10th).

    The second defendant is the chairman of the faction loyal to Fayose. The third to tenth defendants are members of a Disciplinary Committee, which recommended suspension and expulsion of four members of the State Working Committee (SWC).

    The four SWC members, who were pronounced expelled for alleged anti-party activities, are Olatunde (acting chairman), Aluko (secretary), Olanrewaju (auditor) and Mrs. Oyebode (women leader).

    Justice Lekan Ogunmoye heard a motion ex-parte moved by counsel to the claimants/applicants, Oluwatobi Fatoki.

    The motion was supported by a 10-paragraph affidavit and supported by a written address brought pursuant to Sections 96 and 97 of the Sheriff Act and Order 7 Rule 5 (a) of Ekiti State High Court Civil Procedure Rule.

    After the motion was moved by Fatoki, Justice Ogunmoye granted the claimants/applicants leave to issue originating summons and other processes filed in the suit on the first defendant (PDP) in Abuja, which is outside the jurisdiction of the court.

    Justice Ogunmoye also granted an order of substituted service of the originating summons and all other processes to be filed in the action on PDP through Ekiti State Chapter at No 161, Ureje, Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti.

    The judge further granted an order of substituted service on the second to 10th defendants since personal service on them might be difficult for the claimants/applicants.

    He held that since the application was ex-parte, the facts therein remained incontrovertible and they were granted after being carefully and dispassionately considered.

    Parties in the suit are expected back in court on October 14.

     

  • Why I rejected Fayose’s appointment, by ex-Speaker

    Why I rejected Fayose’s appointment, by ex-Speaker

    •Drama as Ekiti lawmakers amend Assembly commission’s law

    Former factional Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly Dele Olugbemi  has justified the rejection of his appointment by Governor Ayo Fayose as a member of the House of Assembly Service Commission (HASC).

    Olugbemi, who spoke in a telephone chat yesterday night,  said he was embarrassed to hear his name on radio as being nominated as HASC member without his knowledge and consent.

    He accused Fayose of running a “one-man show” and failing to carry the state Peoples Democratic Party along in making critical decisions.

    Olugbemi said: “I’m a member of the appointment committee. I was shocked to hear my name announced on the radio as being appointed as a member of the commission without my knowledge.

    “The governor’s action was against the ethos of democracy and he is simply running a one-man show. Since he came into office, he has been operating without regards to the party.

    “I gave so much to defend his mandate, but he has shown me no respect at all. I was still wondering about the appointment when he sent a message to me that some people were interested in replacing me in case I reject the offer. Since he had decided to preempt my decision, I did not find it difficult to reject the appointment.

    “All I did to defend him during the impeachment plot was to prevent the state from chaos. So, I have no regret.”

    Olugbemi shunned the screening and confirmation of HASC nominees for two days – Tuesday and yesterday – by the state lawmakers.

    The Assembly at yesterday’s sitting screened and ratified the four other nominees.

    HASC members, whose nominations were confirmed, are former Speaker Olatunji Odeyemi (Chairman), Bode Adewole, Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi and Muyiwa Fadahunsi.

    There was also a disquiet at yesterday’s sitting over the manner the lawmakers amended Section 2 (4) of the State House of Assembly Service Commission Law 2003 (as amended).

    Leader of Government Business Olatunji Akinyele (Oye 2) moved the motion for the amendment “to accommodate nominees from the three senatorial districts”.

    The amendment was expected to be assented to by the governor before it takes effect, but it took effect immediately without the governor’s assent.

    The amendment passed the first, second and third reading at the same sitting before being passed, an action which is believed to be “a record” in the history of the Assembly, as it was not subjected to any debate.

    The sitting was comical, as the lawmakers started the session with Yoruba language, switched over to English before they reverted to Yoruba.

    Yoruba is the language for House business on Wednesdays, but some of the lawmaker struggled in conveying their thoughts in the native language.

    Olugbemi played a pivotal role in the crisis that rocked the Fourth Assembly in which seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers “impeached” former Speaker Adewale Omirin and “elected” Olugbemi in his stead.

    He superintended over “screening” and “nomination” of three commissioner nominees and passage of the 2015 Appropriation (Budget) Bill into law alongside his six other PDP colleagues.

    Olugbemi, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) after Fayose’s inauguration, also played a leading role in ensuring that the Assembly complex was shut to prevent the governor’s impeachment by the 19 opposition legislators.

  • APC to Fayose: you ‘re unfit to advocate rule of law

    •Party urges Buhari to ignore governor’s conduct

    EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Governor Ayo Fayose as an unfit apostle of the rule of law.

    It said “a lot of impunity and constitutional breaches have been committed” under Fayose’s watch as governor.

    The party, in its reaction to Fayose’s latest outburst against President Muhammadu Buhari, added: “It is contradictory for a serial lawbreaker to suddenly become a self-appointed apostle and advocate of the rule of law.”

    Fayose had warned Buhari to “tread cautiously”, alleging that he was aware of what he called “sinister plots” to destabilise his government because of his “strong and truthful stands on national issues”.

    He vowed to continue to speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored, challenging the president to “tread cautiously”.

    But the Ekiti APC, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, described the “ceaseless attacks and insults” on Buhari by Fayose as a “devious bad-mouthing and reckless diversionary tactics to take public attention from his many alleged constitutional breaches”.

    The statement said “such petulant antics” cannot save the governor from facing justice over his many infractions on the constitution.

    The party, Olatunbosun said, was not surprised by the governor’s antics in his relentless media attacks on the president.

    He noted that “false accusations and sophistry would not distract the Federal Government from pursuing its anti-graft agenda and free the country of official impunity”.

    Olatunbosun said: “Impunity has wreaked havoc in the polity, resulting in some cases to crimes against humanity. Fayose as a promoter of impunity is only trying to employ his basket-mouth antics to blackmail the president in his witch-hunting accusation in the media to preempt dispensation of justice in his financial crimes, acts of impunity and crimes against humanity.

    “It is laughable and an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians for Fayose to accuse Buhari of persecuting the opposition simply because he wants to recover stolen funds from the nation’s treasury and punish looters.

    “Fayose has persecuted members of the opposition in Ekiti State to no end. He runs them out of town as promised by declaring them wanted over trumped-up murder charges.

    “He seized monetised vehicles of opposition members in the last administration and recently ejected them from their houses at a government housing estate, disregarding their subsisting mortgage agreement with the state housing corporation, even as no fewer than three opposition members are in prison over Fayose-induced trumped-up charges.”

    Olatunbosun added that it was a “gratuitous insult” to the citizenry for Fayose to accuse Buhari of persecution.

    The APC spokesman noted that Nigerians were not surprised at his tantrums against the president even when many Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governors attested to Buhari’s even-handedness and fairness in the handling of his policies.

    He said: “If Fayose can insult his own mother publicly by saying she wore pampers as a result of old age, who else can he not insult? Who can he not blackmail just to get away with his illegalities?

    “This is somebody, who once led thugs to invade the office of the state’s Chief Judge, beat up his secretary and tore court records and thereafter blackmailed the judge of collecting N200 million bribe to return guilty verdict on him over his perjury case.

    “Nigerians have not forgotten how Fayose beat up and tore the suit of another high court judge because he wanted to stop his eligibility case.

    “Fayose, notorious for having the greatest number of alleged criminal cases in courts among Nigerian executives, is a governor who successfully prevented another arm of government, the legislature, from functioning for seven months till its term expired.”

    The APC spokesman also accused the governor of running illegal budget and spending government money without appropriation.

    Olatunbosun claimed that only seven members of 26 in the Assembly illegally passed Ekiti State’s 2015 budget into law.

    He added that three of Fayose’s commissioners were not known to law as they were not properly screened.

    The party’s spokesman added: “He stood trial over N1.3 billion poultry project fraud before his controversial re-election as governor that now gives him immunity from trial, which will not last forever.

    “He has again embarked on reckless spending of Ekiti State’s money since he assumed office by not accounting for many funds received from the Federation Account.

    “He still owes last year’s September salary despite collecting the allocation, including indebtedness to pensioners, traditional rulers, workers and subvention to higher institutions.”

    Describing Fayose as the greatest threat to democracy in the country, Olatunbosun said the governor could not survive in the society of human beings, where the law works.

    He urged Buhari to ignore eccentric conduct of a “promoter of impunity and staunch enemy of the rule of law”, saying the support by reasonable citizens so far was enough for the president in his vision to return the nation to the path of sanity.

  • Fayose unfit to advocate for rule of law – APC

    Fayose unfit to advocate for rule of law – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has declared that Governor Ayo Fayose is unfit to advocate for adherence to the rule of law in Nigeria, saying “a lot of impunity and constitutional breaches have been committed under his watch” in the state.

    The party in its reaction to Fayose’s latest outburst against President Muhammadu Buhari, said “it is contradictory for a serial lawbreaker to suddenly become a self-appointed apostle and advocate of the rule of law.”

    Fayose had warned Buhari to “tread cautiously,” alleging that he was aware of “sinister plots” to destabilize his government because of his “strong and truthful stands on national issues.”

    The governor, who vowed to continue speaking the truth no matter whose ox is gored, challenged the President to “tread cautiously,” saying “any President or governor that does not want opposition will eventually become a dictator.”

    But the APC in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, described the “ceaseless attacks and insults” on Buhari by  Fayose as a “devious bad-mouthing and reckless diversionary tactics to take  away public attention from his many alleged constitutional breaches.”

    He said “such petulant antics” cannot save the governor from facing justice over his many infractions on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    According to him, the party was not surprised by the governor’s antics in his relentless media attacks on the President, noting, however, that “false accusations and sophistry would not distract the Federal Government from pursuing its anti-graft agenda and free the country of official impunity.”

    Olatunbosun said: “Impunity has wreaked havoc in the polity resulting in some cases to crimes against humanity. Fayose as a promoter of impunity is only trying to employ his basket-mouth antics to blackmail the President in his witch-hunting accusation in the media to preempt dispensation of justice in his financial crimes, acts of impunity and crimes against humanity.”

    “It is laughable and an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians for Fayose to accuse President Buhari of persecuting the opposition simply because he wants to recover funds stolen from the nation’s treasury and punish looters.

    “Fayose has persecuted members of the opposition in Ekiti State to no end. He runs them out of town as promised by declaring them wanted over trumped-up murder charges.”

     

  • Ekiti PDP crisis: Faction threatens Fayose-backed men over ‘contempt’

    Ekiti PDP crisis: Faction threatens Fayose-backed men over ‘contempt’

    •Expulsion in order, says governor’s faction 

    The estranged State Working Committee (SWC) members of the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the faction loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose of contempt of court.

    They threatened to jail the chairman of the faction backed by Fayose, Idowu Faleye, for allegedly spearheading the purported expulsion of four of them.

    The embattled SWC added that the action eroded the integrity of the court of law, where its members filed a suit against any punitive measure against them.

    The Chairman of the 11 SWC members, Tunde Olatunde, whose expulsion was announced by Faleye and three other state exco members, maintained that they would explore available legal and constitutional means to seek redress and ensure that those holding court in contempt were committed to prison.

    Others, who were expelled by the Faleye-led faction, were PDP State Secretary, Tope Aluko; Women Leader Mrs. Busola Oyebode and Auditor Tunji Olanrewaju. They were expelled for alleged anti-party activities.

    Olatunde, who spoke with reporters at the wedding of Aluko’s daughter at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, said the faction loyal to Fayose knew that a suit had been filed at the Ekiti State High Court challenging their suspension and seeking leave of the court to restrain the party from taking further action against them.

    He said for Faleye and other loyalists of Fayose to go ahead and expel them in view of the pending court process, was tantamount to contempt of court, abuse of the rule of law and an attempt to foist a fait accompli on the court.

    Olatunde said: “Shortly after we were suspended, we went to court to challenge our suspension and also asked the court to restrain the party from taking further decision pending the time the reconciliation committee to be constituted by the NWC arrives in Ekiti.

    “What really marvelled us was that the Faleye and his ilk were duly served with all the court processes. But we decided to stay action in the pursuit of the case because of the respect we have for the NWC, which had indicated interest to resolve the matter.

    “But out of desperation, they went and trampled on the integrity of the court. We would have expected that status quo be maintained while awaiting what the court and NWC would say on the matter.

    “We are assuring that we will use every legal means to ensure that Faleye and his collaborators are jailed for contempt. Though we are not ruling out the reconciliation being proposed by NWC, we are ready to embrace it. But if they failed, then we will resort to legal means.”

    But the spokesman of the Faleye-led faction, Jackson Adebayo, insisted that the expulsion was in order.

    He added that the quartet had been expelled before they went to court to seek protection against disciplinary action.

    Adebayo said: “There was no contempt of court in anything that the party’s state executive committee did because the expulsion was done before the aggrieved went to court.

    “I don’t think they understand the meaning of contempt of court. If they understand it, they will not be going to court for injunction after an action had been taken.”

  • Fayose, Ortom and their ‘rags to riches’ stories

    Fayose, Ortom and their ‘rags to riches’ stories

    Both Ekiti State returnee governor Ayo Fayose and Benue State fresher governor Samuel Ortom have spoken gleefully of their harassed childhood as either bus conductors/motor boys or bus and taxi drivers and motor park officials. Their accounts are thought to be genuine and inspiring stories of rags to riches; stories designed to demonstrate that anyone can tap into the Nigerian dream and become whatever he wants to become, lawfully and gracefully. The stories are not only convincingly of Dickensian proportions, they hark back to the lives of Genghis Khan who created the largest empire in history and the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

    A few years before, former president Goodluck Jonathan had also rendered his own fascinating story of rags to riches, rising from a shoeless nobody to a debonair wonder. In the early years of his presidency, Dr Jonathan was never tired of inflicting his now allegorised shoeless stories on a testy and wary public. His Christian audience cooed in wonderment at the myths he wove around his bare feet, and his detractors chafed relentlessly in puzzles, both impelled to react to what they argued was either unprecedented piffle or unrestrained, virtuoso music.

    But, as Dr Jonathan’s shoeless story demonstrated, harrowing childhood stories have their drawbacks and limitations. When Dr Jonathan and his wife began to festoon their dual mandate with jarring malapropisms and disruptive misrule, the public wondered whether the former president’s childhood deprivations had not irreparably scarred him. He was unable to respond to life’s higher and eternal verities, they mourned. He was a philistine who was inured to culture and civilisation, they also mocked. And like that great narcissist and apostle of ochlocracy, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr Jonathan despised his betters and raucously and furiously sought advantage over them, no matter how little.

    Alas, too, Mr Fayose, more than anyone in Nigerian history, has shown himself deeply and emotionally scarred. Whether in his first abridged term or during last year’s electioneering, the Ekiti governor showed there was no refinement left in him. How such a coarse man won a governorship election, and affects to speak grandly on moral and exigent issues of the day must be one of the most befuddling political events ever in Nigeria.  Mr Ortom, a deeply religious man, it is said, had not shown any of the classical symptoms of deprived childhood. But notwithstanding his intellectual and political accomplishments and his humanistic approach to governance, he will leave many of his compatriots on tenterhooks, as they wait nervously for the other shoe to drop.