Buhari should seek forgiveness from Yorubas, not votes – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the All
Progressives Congress ( APC ) presidential candidate, Major General
Mohammadu Buhari (rtd)
should rather seek forgiveness from the people of the Yoruba people of
the South-West States, including Edo and Delta States, not votes.

The governor said; "Buhari's coup of 1983 destroyed the Southwest and
the old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta) as it put an end to the
developmental programmes of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Unity
Party of Nigeria (UPN) government in the Southwest States of Lagos,
Oyo, Ogun and Ondo, as well as Bendel State."

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and
New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was disheartening
the inhuman treatment Buhari melted to Yoruba leaders like Awolowo,
Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Bisi Onabanjo, Chief Bola Ige, Alhaji
Lateef Jakande and the immediate past APC National Chairman, Chief
Bisi Akande, all of whom championed development and good governance in
the Southwest States.

The governor described Buhari's cancellation of the Lagos metroline
project in 1985 as the grearest disservice to the Yoruba people in
particular, and Nigerians in general.

"If Buhari had not cancelled the metroline project out of vendetta,
transportation problems in Lagos would have been solved permanently.

"The metroline project would have made life easier and changed the
face of transport in Lagos. But Buhari cancelled it an even went ahead
to pay compensation to the French company that handled it. Buhari's
action cost Lagosians over $78 million then," Fayose said.

Speaking further, the governor said; "In Yorubaland, we were enjoying
free education and free health before Buhari came. Then, all that was
needed to go to primary and secondary schools was school uniform.
Drugs were free.

"Apart from free education and free health, the Southwest witnessed
rapid development. Lagos State University, Ogun State University (now
Olabisi Onabanjo University), Ondo State University (now Ekiti State
University), Ondo State Polytechnic (now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic), and
several other institutions were established.

"As at 1979, Lagos State had no secretariat. Jakande's government
built the Alausa Secretariat within four years. Ajasin's government
built Alagbaka Secretariat in Akure within four years. Even the
Lekki-Epe road on which they are now collecting tolls was constructed
by Jakande.

"For all that they did for us in Yorubaland, what did Buhari do to
Jakande, Ajasin, Bola Ige and Bisi Onabanjo? He jailed them and Bisi
Onabanjo came out of prison with health issues that eventually claimed
his life.

"What did Buhari do to reward Awolowo, whose party gave us free
education and free health? Awolowo's international passport was
seized and he was prevented from travelling abroad for medical
treatment. Awolowo died two years after!

"In 1984 that Buhari introduced school fees, thousands of our youths
then dropped out of school.

"Therefore, Buhari who truncated the future of many of our people and
jailed our leaders who served our land selflessly should be seeking
forgiveness from Yoruba people, not votes."