Society Gists

The senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu, has written off the chances that the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, will get near the Presidency in 2019.

Fayose had sometime ago declared his intention to contest the office of the President in 2019.

But he was recently visited by a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, who had for long nursed the ambition of becoming the President.

It was believed that Atiku might have struck a deal with Fayose and persuaded him to be his running mate for the 2019 presidential poll.

Kashamu, according to a statement on Tuesday, berated Fayose for positioning himself as a vice-presidential candidate.

The lawmaker, was quoted as saying during an interview that no reasonable person would pick Fayose, whom he described as “cantankerous,” as a running mate.

He said, “He is going nowhere. In fact, no reasonable presidential candidate will pick a cantankerous and inordinately ambitious person as his running mate.

“Any presidential candidate who picks Fayose as his running mate endangers his life should he win. Since he fraudulently took control of the party structure in the South-West, what has he been able to do with it? Nothing!

“He is fighting the political battle of his life to install another of his stooge as his successor, in the face of stiff opposition from within.

“In a couple of months, the forthcoming Ekiti governorship election would put a lie to his claim of invincibility and uncultured disturbance of our political space.”

But Fayose through his Special Assistant on New Media and Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, said he would not take issue with Kashamu.

“He is free to run his mouth, we won’t take issue with him,” he said.

Kashamu expressed his delight at the Prince Uche Secondus leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party which, he said, had not allowed the scheme allegedly orchestrated by Fayose to suspend or expel him (Kashamu) from the party to sail through.

“It is gladdening that the party is now in the hands of true partymen and administrators like Prince Secondus and his team, who are being assisted by the very refined countryman, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson. As experienced politicians, they know that we need one another to build a strong and virile party,” he said.

Kashamu also said President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election was in the hand of no one but the electorate.

He said those who called on the President not to seek re-election were merely exercising their freedom of expression.

According to him, Buhari has done enough to earn himself a second term in office.