Controversial advert: PDP disowns Fayose

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign
Organisation has washed its hands off the controversial
advertisement published on Monday in some national dailies in
the name of Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose.
In the advertisement, which has generated public outcry, the
Ekiti State governor cautioned Nigerians not to vote for All
Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General
Muhammadu Buhari.
Governor Fayose in the advertisement detailed names of
former military heads of state and civilian president of North-
West extraction, who died in office. He further claimed that the
same fate could befall the APC presidential candidate, if voted
into power.
Reacting yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja, Director Media
and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation,
Femi Fani-Kayode, declared that the party and its presidential
candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, were not privy to the
controversial publication.
He further noted that the message portrayed in the
advertisement was the personal opinion of the Ekiti State
governor.
Fani-Kayode said: “Governor Fayose is a distinguished leader
of our party, a democratically elected governor and someone
we have immense respect and affection for and he released
this advertisement in his own name. He did the advertisement
in his own name and that represents his personal opinion,
which he is entitled to.
“What I can tell you on our part as the Presidential Campaign
Organisation, it doesn’t represent the opinion of the
Presidential Campaign Organisation or indeed the president.
“It is his opinion, which he is entitled to, and he is somebody
that we have immense respect for. He is a leading member of
the party, I have spoken with him and we respect him but for
anybody to suggest that this is the position of the Presidential
Campaign Organisation or President Goodluck Jonathan, that
will be most unfair.
“If we wanted to say something like that, we will say it
without any kind of apology, but of course, we will never say
that because we believe in the sanctity of life and old age is
not a function of how long you will live. It is important that
we recognize the fact that age is not an indication of how
long somebody will live.”
The former Aviation minister, however, restated his stance that
the Jonathan campaign organisation would continue to make
an issue of General Buhari’s eligibility for the exalted office of
president.
“We believe strongly that we must continue to show immense
respect to the person of General Buhari in terms of his person
and his health, though we believe it is important to always
raise question about facts; you know what these questions are
and we will continue to raise them,” he said.
… I’ve no apology – Fayose
Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has said he has no
apology for the controversial advertisement published in some
national newspapers on Monday, warning Nigerians of the
consequence of electing Buhari as the nation’s president.
In a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr.
Idowu Adelusi in Ado Ekiti on Monday, Fayose said Buhari was
an analog man, an old model.
Fayose spoke further: “You will recall that All Progressives
Congress (APC) confirmed that Buhari will travel out. I have
been vindicated in my sincere and nationalistic assessment of
Buhari.
“The APC should declare the state of health of Buhari. The
same way Obasanjo said Yar’adua was healthy but later died.
Buhari is a spent force; he should display his medical and
educational certificate if he is sure of himself and to dispute
this fact.
“The APC has asserted in a national newspaper that Buhari is
to be flown out for medical check up. Above all, Buhari is
seeking a public office and Nigerians need to know all these,”
Fayose declared.