₦airaland Forum

Gospel According to Saint Fayose By Lere Olayinka
As a student of a missionary school, Roman Catholic Primary
School to be precise, I learnt early enough the story of Paul
Apostle . Saul, who later became Paul, was born around the same
time as Christ. He was sent to the Jewish school of learning at
Jerusalem to study law. After his studies, he returned to Tarsus but
soon after the death of Christ he returned to Jerusalem where
Christianity was becoming wide-spread. Saul was a key player in
the persecution of Christians. However, after his encounter with
Jesus Christ, on his way to Damascus to persecute some suspected
Christians, Saul became converted and this conversion changed the
course of his life.
In Ekiti , there is one Saul that is daily struggling to become Paul. In
the case of this Saul, he does not need an encounter with Jesus
Christ to become a born again because he is not out to preach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, but that of politics. He won’t even become
anything close to Paul Apostle because his name was never Saul in
the first instance. He was Peter Ayodele Oluwayose , who later said
his father; Pastor John Oluwayose erred by replacing Ifa (god of
divination) in his name with Oluwa (God).
For over three years that Ayodele Fayose was the governor of Ekiti
State; he was everything but a democrat. Rule of law, free and fair
election, political tolerance and respect for traditional institution was
anathema to him. Those of us who dared him then had bitter tales
to tell. For instance, just because I was courageous enough to
expose his N1.4 billion poultry scam and other atrocities, using a
local newspaper, he (Fayose) obtained a warrant of arrest against
my good-self and made arrangement with ‘’boys” in the prison to
break my legs in detention. I escaped the arrest by whiskers. The
arrest warrant saga was confirmed to me by the judge, who signed
it. I had gone to the judge to sign a form, when he saw my name
and exclaimed; “this world is indeed a small place. I signed your
arrest warrant in 2005 but I thank God today because my
conscience is clear. I vacated the order a week after without letting
Fayose know about it.” The judge is still alive!
I was not the only one who tasted Fayose’s bitter pills. Others,
including the incumbent governor of Ekiti State , Engr. Segun Oni,
Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Navy Capt. Caleb
Olubolade (rtd.), Chief Idowu Odeyemi, Senator Bode Olowoporoku,
Chief Ojo Falegan, Chief George Femi-Ojo, Taiye Fasuba, Surveyor
Abiodun Aluko, Chief Afe Babalola, Chief Kunle Ogunlade, Femi
Falana former governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adeniyi Adebayo and
Segun Osoba had more mind burgling stories to tell too.
Fayose wagged war against anyone he perceived as a threat to his
hold on power. Even his own siblings were not left out. Ask Bimpe
and Emmanuel, they sure still remember what they went through in
the hands of Fayose, their own brother.
In Fayose’s days as governor, there was nothing like free and fair
election in his electoral dictionary. Elections to him must be won by
whatever means possible and that he demonstrated during the 2004
local government elections in the State, May 28, 2005 councillorship
bye-election in Ifaki-Ekiti, Ekiti South Federal Constituency II bye-
election among others.
Interestingly, the local council elections were conducted the State
Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), members of which were
appointed by Fayose himself.
In the case of the local government elections in Ekiti South West
Local Government, which was held on April 3, 2004, Senator
Olowoporoku, whose wife, Anike was the All Nigerian Peoples Party
(ANPP) candidate gave the following account; “By the midnight of
2nd April, 2004 we heard that soldiers had invaded Iyin Ekiti, the
home of ex-Governor Adeniyi Adebayo and had put Governor Bola
Tinubu of Lagos State and Ex-Governors Osoba of Ogun State and
Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti State under arrest of no movement in and out
of the compound in a state of incommunicado.
“By about 9.00 a.m, people were ready to go and cast their ballots
despite the war songs of the armed forces all over the town
throughout the night. Their resolve was to go and vote in spite of
the reported heavy presence of soldiers and mobile policemen in the
town. Several people were on the queue to vote by 10.30a.m when
Mr. Ayo Fayose suddenly emerged in sleeveless shirt and knickers
with a terrifying sword and also in convoy of about 80 vehicles. His
eyes were red like a monster who has just finished drinking blood.
Soldiers and "kill and go" (mobile policemen) in hundreds started
shooting into the air, asking everybody to run for their dear lives.
People ran away, any presiding officers or agents whether of PDP or
AD or ANPP or NCP who attempted to protect the ballot boxes were
beaten to state of coma or in a number of extreme cases, they were
shot in the legs.
“In a rage and something more than madness, the governor Mr. Ayo
Fayose was overheard shouting "where is Bode Olowoporoku, I
want to kill him, I have immunity for eight years as Governor of Ekiti
State.”
Olowoporoku’s account was corroborated by the reports in various
national dailies on Sunday, April 4, 2004. Sunday Punch captioned it
thus; “LG bye-election; Soldiers, mobile policemen invade Ekiti. Govt
officials hijack ballot boxes.
The News Magazine, in its April 5, 2004 edition captioned Fayose’s
reign of terror thus; “The Power Drunk Governor; How Fayose’s men
murdered students. His style shocks the nation.
But if Fayose’s show of madness on April 2 and 3, 2004 actually
shocked the nation as reported by The News Magazine, what he did
on May 28, 2005 must have sent the whole country into a coma.
Sensing that his preferred candidate was losing the Ifaki Ward II
councillorship bye-election, Fayose stormed the town with thugs
and mobile policemen and in a twinkling of an eye, Tunde Omojola,
an in-law to Hon. Labaika Suleiman, the National Conscience Party
(NCP) candidate in the election had been killed. His murder was
allegedly supervised by Fayose.
Not done with the Ifaki escapade, Fayose moved to Mugbagba, Ado-
Ekiti where the Alliance for Democracy (AD) was inaugurating its
Ado Local Government Executives. Fayose was personally involved
in the smashing of vehicle windscreens and stealing of properties,
including raw cash kept in the vehicles.
However, funny how times flies, Fayose, after inflicting electoral
injuries on the psyche of Ekiti people now mounts the podium,
preaching against election rigging. Saint Fayose now goes about
preaching rule of law, good governance, free and fair elections. He
wants to be seen as a Saul who has giving up his persecution of
Christians and turned to Paul.
Yesterday, I read in the papers, Fayose, who used to refer to himself
as the “master rigger” calling on voters to protect their votes and
resist rigging in next year’s elections. In other words, Saint Fayose,
who spearheaded the rigging of elections and unprecedented
electoral violence when he was governor, now, wants the 2011
election, which he hopes to contest to be free and fair!
But he (Fayose) surely needs more than mere press statements. For
him to be seen as a Saul who has turned to Paul, Fayose must show
penitence. He must visit the families of Tunde Omojola, Dr. Ayo
Daramola, nine students of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti
killed during a mere protest, the likes of Aseweje, Ben Ogundana,
Dapo Osunniyi, Kamoru Folorunso, Ojo Sunday and several others
that were visited with terror during the 2004 local council polls in
Ilawe, Ogotun and Igbara-Odo to seek amnesty.
Most importantly too, Fayose must go on his bended kneels in front
of the entire congregation of the Emmanuel Anglican Cathedral,
Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, whose church’s two entrance gates he blocked
with sand, gravel and gutter, deliberate dug in front of the church
just because Chief Ojo Falegan, his perceived opponent worshipped
in the church.
Honestly, like Paul Apostle, Fayose can be admitted into the club of
sainthood; after all, our Lord is a forgiving God. But he must be
ready to show repentance by confessing that he once rigged
elections, perpetrated electoral violence and persecuted opposition
politicians. Until then, his quest for sainthood, by preaching free and
fair elections will remain in the dustbin of morality.
Olayinka, a journalist writes from Ado-Ekiti

Who would ever believe that the same lere olayinka who wrote this about fayose four years ago is now his spokesperson?
Nigerians won't cease to amaze me

Very fuuny

Only igbos sees Fayose as human being... He is a monster.

segalex:
Who would ever believe that the same lere olayinka who wrote this about fayose four years ago is now his spokesperson?
Nigerians won't cease to amaze me

Bros na 8yrs not 4.

cosby02:
Only igbos sees Fayose as human being... He is a monster.

only if you from Ekiti,Fayose is a sword with a double sharped faces. The bad side is 65%.........

Nawa oooo, then we should agree that fayose is a saint while this omi or oti yinka is the real devil.

cosby02:
Only igbos sees Fayose as human being... He is a monster.

Never knew Ekiti people were Igbos