Fayose as thorn in Obasanjo’s flesh

FORMER president Olusegun Obasanjo must by now be keenly aware of the irony of attacking others while opening himself to equally vile attacks. Responding to President Muhammadu Buhari’s many moves to canonise the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election in the face of relentless criticism from the former president, ex-Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose joined the fray and declared his support for President Buhari. “Honouring MKO Abiola by Buhari,” said Mr Fayose mockingly, “is to Obasanjo’s shame. It remains a sore point of his political history that because of his ego, Obasanjo, who is the greatest beneficiary of the June 12 struggle failed to honour his kinsman, Abiola. So I commend Buhari.”

Given his inexhaustible talent for histrionics, no one can be certain that Mr Fayose, who is groaning under EFCC prosecution for corruption, is not trying to worm his way into the heart of the president. He may be trying to figure a way to ameliorate the severity of the prosecution he is facing or even its total cessation, but on the other hand, he may in fact have surmised that his hostility towards Chief Obasanjo must be nurtured more than his love for President Buhari. During electioneering, Mr Fayose said unprintable things against the president, including making statements about his mental condition. However, for now at least, his loathing for Chief Obasanjo takes precedence.

In his first term as governor, Mr Fayose was extra-judicially deposed as governor through a hasty and trumped-up impeachment proceedings. He never forgave Chief Obasanjo for denting the image he claimed to possess. The former governor can, therefore, be expected to remain a lifelong enemy of Chief Obasanjo, far, it seems, more than he will be the enemy of President Buhari. He will draw his ethical and censorious lines somewhat unequivocally. But whether he lampoons Chief Obasanjo more than President Buhari or not, Mr Fayose knows quite well that no one will ever trust him again, especially given his record as governor. He has done enough damage to politics and ethics for anyone in Ekiti or outside the state to trust him or even acknowledge him as a sound and diligent person. His record out of office may not be colourful, but it is unlikely to be less unethical, regardless of whoever is the butt of his cruel mockery and jokes.