Babafemi Ojudu, who previously served as Special Adviser on Political Matters to former President Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose lacks honor and is unable to spell the word “politics.” Ojudu shared his experiences of defeating Fayose in the 2011 senatorial election in Ekiti State. He accused Fayose of resorting to vote-buying and claimed that the impoverished people of Ekiti contributed to his return as governor after his impeachment. Ojudu made these statements during an interview on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affairs, on Thursday morning. He noted that despite Fayose’s financial resources for the campaign, he won by 68,000 votes to Fayose’s 28,000. Ojudu stated, “Fayose lacks honor now; he is dishonorable. He regained governorship because people are desperate, willing to vote for food and N5000, in a setting of poverty. I’m the only one who has ever defeated him in an election; he ran against me in the Senate race, receiving 28,000 votes while I got 68,000. This reflects my victory over him, despite his financial advantages—he had money to spend, and I did not. Additionally, a radio station hosted a debate between us, which was quite unbalanced.” When we arrived, I was dressed in my Agbada while he wore a t-shirt and jeans. As soon as he walked in, I noticed a phrase on his t-shirt that read “Politics is Serious Business,” but “politics” was misspelled. I felt pleased to have this guy with me today. I contacted my photographer and asked him to take a shot of his chest, which he did. Then, he started to accuse me of various things. He referred to me as a roadside journalist, and I was just biding my time. After we had exchanged various insults, the moderator announced, “We’ve reached the conclusion of the debate, but I’ll allow each of you two minutes.” Who will be the starter? “I told my governor that he needed to begin, and he mistakenly thought I was being polite, but I wanted to speak last so he wouldn’t have a chance to respond. Once he was done, I expressed that today was my saddest day because I wouldn’t know what to tell my 13-year-old daughter upon returning home – that the man who used to be our governor and wants to represent Ekiti in the Senate doesn’t even know how to spell politics. I’m bringing this to the attention of everyone at home: the former governor who aspires to go to the Senate can’t spell politics. Are we really going to keep allowing uneducated people in positions of power?” He just put his hands to his chest and dashed out of the studio; that was a shocking blow.
