Don’t Cry for Ayo Fayose

I am writing at 4am this morning with so much glee. The Ekiti elections have come and gone and a presumed winner has emerged. We have seen all sort of gloating especially the unfortunate one allegedly issued by the EFCC amongst others. But the truth here is that although Fayose may have lost that battle, he seems to have won the conscience of the people. For me, my respect for the gentleman is at its highest levels, simply because he has very unlike the grain, stood very firmly in his beliefs, refusing to shift his grounds and fought to the very end – tear gas or no tear gas without compromising his principles. These for a lot of Nigerians are all hallmarks of rare greatness especially in this clime of cowardly politicians who shift and move almost on a daily basis following self-interest. For me and I am sure millions more, Fayose despite his unconventional ways, provides for us a rare reliability with which we can aspire to build our dreams and this is why I am saying this morning that we should not cry or laugh at Fayose for something tells me, that this is only just the beginning of this drama. Fayose still has an effective role to play in opposition politics. His boldness, seeming lack of fear and courage would go a long way in galvanising the opposing camp towards rendering effective opposition which is what is needed in our politics today. This story has only just begun. Welldone Sir. to dominate us . ooooooooo? I have risen up to the mountain top – in Martin Luther King’s voice – and I have a dream, that one day, ohhhhhhh one day, abeg make I go chop, I am hungry. Mbok, Akpabio continue no vex. Continue with your uncommon boreholes.

I have never had the good fortune of ever meeting with a Presidential Candidate in this my life. The closest was seeing Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at Habib bank where I used to work and that time, he was not yet an aspirant; he was a bank customer. So you can imagine my glee when I put in a call to Dr. Byron and he picked it. We had fruitful discussions and he accepted to come give a talk at the next Afang Summit. The Afang Summit is a platform that allows for the cohesive discussions of Nigerian politics with a view to creating and building structures of engagement that should lead to a reawakening of the civil society. It is an adjunct of the Duke’s Summit. The Duke’s Summit is on online platform with membership spreading across young professionals and counting two gubernatorial candidates, three Senators, two former Presidential spokespersons, top Journalists and captains of industry. Discussions are usually very robust and unhinged and you must be intellectually strong to withstand the major grilling that comes with the sessions. I am very sure Dr. Byron has the capacity to hold his own at the forum. Will keep you guys posted. Thank you.