Former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has implored his former deputy, Prof Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, to be introspective and circumspect on how their political relationship turned sour after they left office.
Fayose, who took umbrage at Olusola-Eleka’s choice of words that described him as ‘cunning and prideful, asked him not to allow sentiment and emotions becloud his reasoning.
Olusola-Eleka, had last week, in a letter indicating his withdrawal from the contest for the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for Ekiti South Senatorial District, said, “Fayose, who openly endorsed my candidacy for Senate in my town, discreetly aided another person from the same constituency to pick the same senatorial form. That left me with no choice but to consider his endorsement as a facade and decoy.
“Having consulted widely on the foregoing with my teeming supporters across the 16 local government areas, I have decided not to dwell where there is no sincerity of purpose, but an arrogant display of deception and hence, pull out from the contest.”
But Fayose, in a letter to Olusola-Eleka, titled, “Re: Notification of withdrawal from senatorial contest; I wasn’t deceitful and arrogant in 2014 and 2018 when I chose you as deputy, guber candidate”, considered the former deputy governor’s remark as price for leadership on his (Fayose’s) part with all necessary lessons learnt.
“As a professor of repute, I feel you should not forget history that soon by allowing yourself to be taken over by emotions such that you will speak ill of a man you once called your greatest political leader.
The former governor said the public which Olusola-Eleka had attempted “to get their sympathy against me cannot be fooled. They certainly have a sense of history. Eleka, as I always call you, I think it is time you do a soul searching and ask yourself what went wrong.
“Have you forgotten that you were in the classroom when I brought you to be my deputy in 2014 without being part of my emergence as a PDP candidate? This is aside the fact that you were unknown to anyone in the party then. Then, I was not deceitful and arrogant, but the best if I may quote you rightly.
“Recall it was a condition precedent that we will leave office together in 2018. Rather than leaving with you, I endorsed you as PDP governorship candidate and by the grace of God, you emerged the candidate against all odds and interests. I became the enemy of those who were opposed to your emergence as a candidate without being tagged as deceitful and arrogant.
“I also worked tirelessly for your election as governor, and you know that you are not the governor of Ekiti State today, not because we lost the election. Then, I was to you, the greatest among leaders.