Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has dismissed the claim that he betrayed the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, by seeking to run for the presidency, even when the former Lagos State Governor has already declared interest for the position.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Fayemi said the presidency is not “an inheritance or a traditional title”.
He said, “We have worked together on a number of issues so this is not a personal contest, this is about Nigeria and the future of our children and it is about competing visions of what that future holds for Nigerians.
“I have the greatest respect for Asiwaju and I will continue to do so but I do believe that I have a strong vision for how to reposition Nigeria and build on the legacies of the current president.
“The Asiwaju that I know, is a democrat and I’m not even sure he will share your views. He believes that politics is a marketplace of ideas and people should test their own convictions.
“His courage of conviction is not in doubt. But I don’t think he will want to bend the stamp on the convictions of others in terms of how Nigeria should go.
“But I don’t believe that we should see that as the basis of demonising anyone and I know that Asiwaju who I have interacted with will not subscribe to that I don’t believe that he would use terminologies like betrayal or whatever else you called it
“This is not an inheritance, it is about Nigeria. Nigeria is the commonwealth of all Nigerians. It is not a traditional title that we are seeking. The office that we are seeking is to make improvements in the lives of Nigerians.”
