Fayose to Buhari: You can’t intimidate me

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Sunday, told the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government that he will never allow himself to be intimidated by federal might.
Fayose, who said he was not unaware of the sinister plot to
destabilise his administration because of his ‘strong and truthful’ positions on national issues, vowed not to be cowed by threat from any quarter.
He urged Buhari to tread cautiously and be mindful of the body language of those hailing him, saying: “The president should be cautious enough to know that the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee tactically told him to tread cautiously and be mindful of the fact that he is not heading a military government.”
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said: “Opposition is one of the roots on which democracy stands and any President or Governor that does not want opposition will eventually become a dictator.
“I want to state, without fear or favour, that I will continue to speak the truth, no matter whose ox is gored.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us and no one can intimidate me or the good people of Ekiti State who freely and overwhelmingly gave me their mandate.
“Democracy as a form of government thrives on our ability to ask questions and get answers from leaders,” he said.
He urged the President to listen to wise counsel from the General Abdulsalami Abubakar- led National Peace Committee saying: “The Peace Committee has reminded the president that he is not heading a military government and with the calibre of Nigerians in the committee, their
wise counsel should not be ignored.
“These are Nigerians who don’t need personal favours from the President and he should get the message very clearly that he is being told not to act as a dictator.”
Fayose said the President should also know that Nigerians are
not interested in any honeymoon, but their well-being.
His words: “rather than concentrate and make a difference within his 100 days in office, the president’s greatest achievement so far is harassment of PDP leaders, appointment of his in-law and kinsmen into sensitive positions, selective fight against corruption and arrest and detention of INEC officials who worked in states won by the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).”
While declaring support for the fight against corruption, Fayose, however, said: “Fighting corruption should not be synonymous with convicting Nigerians on pages of newspapers. Rather, the judiciary and other relevant agencies should be allowed to do their jobs without any direct or indirect interference from the President and his party.
“Corruption must be fought in accordance with the laws of the land because going against the laws of the land and the oath taken by the President to respect the constitution in itself is corruption.”