-The Daily Crucible
The feud between Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has worsened with Fayemi accusing the Senator of fabricating falsehood and planting same in the media, ostensibly to rubbish him.
Fayemi cited an online report insinuating his failed mission to Aso Villa with the controversial Acting National Chairman of All Progressives Congress(APC), Victor Giadom, on Wednesday as one of such desperate attempts by Ojudu to blackmail him.
The Daily Crucible recalls that Ojudu had on Monday accused Governor Fayemi of unrelentingly pressuring the Executive members of his ward to expel him from APC in Ekiti state for daring to vilify the Governor for ackluster performance in office.
But reacting to the failed mission to Aso Villa with Giadom, the Governor described it as misleading, accusing Ojudu of both fabricating and planting the story in the media.
Speaking in a release through Yinka Oyebode, his
Chief Press Secretary, Fayemi who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the report was designed to cast aspersion on the person of the Governor and create an impression that the NGF Chairman was an unwanted visitor at the Villa.
He stated: "The attention of the general public is being drawn to a misleading online publication by online on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.
"The falsehood, we gathered reliably, was fabricated by a senior aide of the Presidency and a former Senator, Babafemi Ojudu, and planted in the paper after it was rejected by some State House Correspondents, who rebuffed the former Senator for the misleading and malicious story.
"It is on record that Senator Ojudu, in his desperate bid to rubbish Governor Fayemi, had told his close associates that he would battle Governor Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) with falsehood and cheap blackmail in his nefarious attempt to destabilize APC in Ekiti State.
"While Ojudu has the right to continue to tread the path of perfidy which has been his lifestyle from time immemorial, we least expected a leading national paper to buy into such cheap blackmail in form of an unverifiable report, without due regard to the principles of fairness.
" This is more so that modern technology has made the business of news gathering and editorial checks a lot easier, especially if the mission is about public good.
"For the purpose of clarity, it is important to state that the report was clearly a misleading one designed to cast aspersion on the person of Governor Fayemi and create an impression that the NGF Chairman is an unwanted visitor at the Villa.
"The largely unsubstantiated report was filled with bile, childish and unexplainable fury that signified nothing, just like a tale fit only for the tabloids.
"We therefore implore the general public to disregard the highly illogical concoction.
In setting the record straight, we hereby state unequivocally that Governor Fayemi had no plan nor reason to see Mr President on Tuesday late afternoon as maliciously presented in the (said) report."
"We have tried not to join issues with the barrage of falsehood, personality attacks and campaign of calumny against Governor Fayemi on social media in the last two weeks because it is not in Dr Fayemi’s character to engage in unintelligent rabblerousing in the media.
"As a principled democrat, Dr Fayemi is committed to fighting for the principles of democracy within the political party he laboured with other notable Nigerians to birth. It is normal for political leaders to be in disagreement, but it should not lead to campaigns of calumny based on falsehood.
"Governor Fayemi’s position on the APC crisis has been to consistently subsume his views in the position of the Progressives Governors Forum as expressed by the Chairman.
"He has not spoken on the party crisis in any public forum but continue to urge all members and lovers of the party to exercise restraint and support the leader of the party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other leaders desirous of resolution to give peace a chance.
We implore media organisations to be wary of unfounded stories wrapped as exclusives by disgruntled elements like the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu who are now masquerading as news sources."
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