Ayodele Fayose speaks on his confrontation with ex-president Obasanjo

Segun Oni was the PDP governor of Ekiti when I decided to switch parties.

The next time I met Obasanjo was during a funeral for Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osogbo.

When I arrived, I was greeted by Alao Akala, General Ibrahim Babangida, and a whole slew of governors in office. The presence of Kenny Martins is not lost on me. When I walked in, Obasanjo was on my right and Babangida was on my left.

Then I started making my way toward Obasanjo and the center to welcome folks. The governor of Oyo State, Alao Akala, then asked me, “Can’t you see Baba sitting on the other side?” I responded, “Which Baba?” How about that one? The name “Obasanjo” came out of his mouth.

Obasanjo responded, “Ah, he cannot see me,” before I could even respond. You have to admit that he’s a jerk. Then I looked Obasanjo in the eye and yelled, “Baba, you are the bastard!” You are the ancestor of all scoundrels; you are the bastard. Tell me about another Obasanjo family in Yorubaland and Nigeria, I pleaded. I told him, “Go to Ekiti, Akure, Ilesha, or Kogi, and you’ll meet a Fayose.” What happened to Nigeria’s other Obasanjo? Showing me another would prove you to be a real bastard, therefore I dare you to do so.

A stunned General Babangida. You could have heard a cotton ball fall at that very second. Absolute hush prevailed. I was fuming and told him he couldn’t move from where he was. Oyinlola approached me and began pleading with me. I warned him that as a former governor we would be at odds with Obasanjo, another former president.

People begged me to let Obasanjo leave the venue without any trouble. IBB shook my hand and said, “Young man, I have not met a brave man like you,” and I will never forget that moment.

Obasanjo is known to be a prolific liar. He often portrays himself as Yoruba culture’s sole guiding light. He can’t find any redeeming features in anyone save himself. That’s why it was so tough for him to recognize Abiola as the hero he was and give credit where credit was due to Awolowo when he was in power from 1999 to 2007.
Article by Adedoyin Banjo-Adeniyi taken from pages 19 and 20 of the July 2017 issue of The Interview magazine.