Fani-Kayode Frows at ‘Loser’ Tag

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has taken exception to being described as a loser in the recent Osun state governorship election, saying that he was not a contestant in the election so he cannot be loser.

Fani-Kayode was also of the opinion that the victory claimed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) was pyrrhic which will never stand the test at the tribunals.

Fani-Kayode, in a statement by his special assistant on public affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Ewobor, said that he contributed in no small way to the strong showing of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state during the election.

“It is not true that Chief Fani-Kayode was not in Ife and was not in Osogbo or Osun State during the course of the election. Not only was he in Ife but he was up and about throughout Osun state both before, during and after the election.

“The fact that he does not publicise his movements does not mean that he was not there. Not only was he there, he was there in full force encouraging many of those that supported the PDP and trying to convince many that had refused to do so.

“His contribution to the victory of the PDP, (Yes victory!) cannot be denied. Your writer knows very well that the APC did not win the election in Osun state but rather they stole it and this will be proved at the election tribunal.”

He said that the victory “attributed to the APC is a phyrric victory, a stolen mandate and one that cannot stand the test of time.

On the contribution of his lineage to the fortunes of Ile Ife, he traced the history of his family contribution to the development of Ife to four generations.

“For four generations from his great grandfather to his grandfather and to his father and then to his good self, the Fani-Kayodes’ have been contributing to the political development of Ife long before the writer of the said column was even born.

“It is on record that Chief Fèmi Fani-Kayode appointed more sons and daughters of Ife into various positions of power and authority in the various parastatals when he was Minister of Aviation and Minister of Culture and Tourism than any other Yoruba Minister in the history of Nigeria.

“That is just the beginning because he did far more than that. Not only has he continued to contribute to the political development of Ife but he has also done his best to stand by the people of Osun state and the people of Yoruba land.

He said that the truth remains “that a son of Ife was running for the Governorship in the said election by the name of Chief Iyola Omisore and every Ife man, including Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, found themselves in a difficult situation during that election simply because it is the yearning and aspiration of every Ife man, woman and child that a son of Ife, regardless of his political affiliation, should be Governor of the state.

“This is because since the creation of Osun state no Ife man has ever been elected Governor. If a dog from Ife had been on the ballot it would still have done very well in Ife.

“This explains why Otunba Iyiola Omisore did so well. The truth is that no matter how hard the PDP or the APC worked in Ife, as long as they did not field a candidate from Ife and another party did, it would have been difficult for them to do well in that area.”

He stressed that it was wrong to describe him as a ‘loser’ as ‘his name was not on the ballot and even though the Deputy Governorship candidate of the PDP and many other PDP leaders are also from Ile Ife. This is shameful and unacceptable. The day that Chief Fani-Kayode decides to run for elective office himself and his name is on the ballot that is when you will know that he is a winner and not a loser.

“Finally, it is pertinent to point out that during the rerun election in Ile Ife the people came out en mass to vote for the PDP because Omisore was no longer in the race and our party offered them the Deputy Governorship position. Sadly the process was short-circuited by APC thugs, the security agencies and INEC and they were not allowed to vote, adding that the matter will soon be put to rest by the courts