Ayo Fayose Governor refuses to apologize to Buhari over death prophecy

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has said that he has no apology over the controversial advertisement he placed in newspapers on Monday, January 19.

Fayose stated this via a statement released on Tuesday, January 20, in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The advertisement, which graced the front pages of Punch Newspapers and The Sun Newspaper, showed pictures of previously deceased Nigerian leaders and appeared to predict death for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Muhammadu Buhari.

The statement was released by Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi. It reads:

“I wish to refer to the late President Umaru Musa Yar; Adua who former President Olusegun Obasanjo claimed was hale and hearty to lead this country and subsequently took ill and died.”

“I must assure all those who have expressed genuine concerns,unlike the APC that is playing cheap politics over the issue -that my intention is not a death wish to General Buhari but a factual position that APC is covering.”

"My consideration for the advertorial in the midst of alleged ill health of the late president is the need for the nation not to forget the crisis we were thrown into in 2010 but saved by the National Assembly which had to invoked the Doctrine of Necessity after protests by the Save Nigeria Group ( SNG).”

“It is in defence of fairness that I called attention to the potential crisis we may face God forbid that the health of the general becomes a hindrance if he was president and his Vice who is from the South West would have to step into the saddle not too long after Obasanjo eight years in office.”

“I wish to draw attention to the lead story in the Sunday Tribune of January 18, 2015, entitled, “Buhari's planned visit to US causes furore”.  The story revealed that arrangement had been concluded to fly Buhari to US for a medical checkup. That Buhari has been stressed from effects of the rigours of presidential campaigns across the country and he is definitely in need of medical attention, adding that age was a factor as rigours of the campaign was‎ getting at him”.

“…again, I say it that Buhari is too old and spent to lead Nigeria. The health of all of us who have stepped into the leadership space is nothing personal to us anymore as it has implications on the polity.”