The “raging feud” between Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Faose and his estranged associate, Tope Aluko is far from being over as the purported reconciliation between the duo few days ago appears to have crashed.
Aluko is the whistleblower who made some startling revelations on the last Ekiti State governorship election.
Few days ago, the world was made to believe that the fued between the duo was over as the met and reconciled in Lagos.
But Aluko has described the reconciliation between him and Fayose as a “joke of the Century”, insisted that he never begged for forgiveness from the governor as being peddled in some quarters.
He accused Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka of “hypocrisy, distortion of facts and spreading lies” on the “reconciliation process”.
He said he went to Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday to honour an invitation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership to address some issues affecting the state.
Aluko said he went to the meeting with his wife, adding that he was shocked to see the governor walk into the meeting. He noted that he accepted to be at the meeting because he was invited by two senior members of the party.
His words: “I need not recall the drama and face-off that ensued between Fayose and I at the meeting. At a point, my wife barged into the meeting to inform me of the presence of reporters.
“I became enraged and decided to leave the place but I noticed the governor rushing after me downstairs in a Gestapo manner.
“My wife was fidgeting and almost crying and suddenly I could not find her around me. I realised that I need to obey Fayose’s instruction to face the press because of my family’s safety.”
The former PDP scribe said he still stand by his words. “I have earlier told Nigerians about the manipulation of the 2014 governorship election and I still stand by all I said.
“You will notice the several counter allegations by Fayose and his media team that none of them has refuted all I have said. Rather the attack has been on the messenger and not the message. I will like to apologise to Nigerians that perhaps, accepting the invitation was a tactical error.
“I will also like you to know that I am dealing with a master fraudster who is always full of mischief. You will all recollect how he announced the purported death of Afolabi Akanni; the purported arrest of four members of the House of Assembly.
“I need to emphasise that all that transpired at Eko Hotel on that day was an organised propaganda/drama to stain my image and malign my personal integrity and I believe it would be a good script for Nollywood,” he said.
Aluko also spoke on his Twitter handle where he posted two tweets on what really transpired in Lagos.
In a tweet posted on Monday, he said: “I did not collect any money from Fayose. I was invited to a meeting by well meaning Nigerians and I felt it was imperative to honour such a meeting but I was surprised to see reporters around.”
In another tweet posted yesterday, the PDP chieftain described the governor as a “chameleon”, adding that the reconciliation was staged to assassinate his character.
Aluko declared that the battle line is now drawn and will continue until there is a victor and a vanquished.
He said: “I did not beg Fayose, he approached me and it was courteous that I honored Ekiti leaders who wanted peace to reign in Ekiti, contrary to the lies being spread by Fayose’s mouthpiece Lere Olayinka.
“I have come forward in strong terms to rubbish Olayinka’s hypocrisy with his distortion of facts about the reconciliation process. The spread of lies about my ‘repentance’ is calculated.
“Fayose and his paid agents are cowards who only want sympathy through the back door. Their pranks can only be described as ‘the joke of the century’.
“I know Fayose well. He is a chameleon and I also know that he must have devised all these arrangements to further assassinate my character and that was why I was meticulous by not speaking to the press.
“Like I said on Monday, I won’t dignify Olayinka with a response and I won’t join issues with him but the public should know that it was peace they claim they wanted and now that they have indicated their insincerity, it therefore means the battle continues until there is a victor and a vanquished.”
The government has said the case of perjury against Aluko would go on in court.
Addressing a briefing in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, said the state has filed a mandamus in the court to compel Aluko’s arrest.
This, he said, became necessary, following the failure of the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to arrest Aluko, following an arrest warrant ordered by an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Ajayi alleged that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has not done enough to advise the Federal Government to obey court orders.
The commissioner claimed that despite the warrant of arrest slammed on him, Aluko still goes about with military and police escorts.
Ajayi said: “The apology of Aluko to Governor Fayose was personal. We can’t because of this interventionist apology collapse all our cases, government is not run that way.
“We can’t abandon our responsibilities as a state just because someone
apologised to our governor on a case already in court. They are not fresh cases and we will pursue it to a logical conclusion,” he said.