As the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) continue with their damage control on the failure of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other chieftains of the party to visit the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, when they came for campaign yesterday, facts have emerged as to why the Ewi was ignored.
Informed sources in the APC disclosed that it was Dr. Kayode Fayemi that insisted that the party leaders must not visit the monarch, citing his cordial relationship with the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose and how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola was received by the Ewi when he was presented in his palace last week Tuesday.
The Vice President was said to have raised the none inclusion of visit to Ewi’s palace in his itinery but Fayemi quickly dismissed it, saying that his (Osinbajo) visit was political and it was not necessary to visit the monarch and other traditional rulers in the State.
A source quoted one of the party leaders in the State as lamenting that “there was no way the adverse effects of the none visit to the Obas palace yesterday can be addressed even if Vice President Osinbajo chose to visit the monarch to pay homage 10 times.”
The APC leader, who is from Ado Ekiti said; “the people of Ado Ekiti do not joke with their monarch and will never take it lightly if he is disrespected by anyone. Now Fayemi has out of his arrogance put us in deeper mess such that we now have to arrange a return visit to Ado Ekiti by the Vice President.
“Now you can see that the PDP has started making issues out of and making the planned visit of the Vice President today to appear as an afterthought. It is not good for us at all and it was Fayemi that caused it.”
Meanwhile, the campaign organization of the Ekiti State Deputy Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola has berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for shunning the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe yesterday, saying “It is obvious that APC as a party does not have respect for the traditional institution.”
The Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation (KOCO) said in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Lere Olayinka that it was the height of disrespect for the traditional institution for Fayemi to have told the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo that it was not necessary for him and other APC governors that came for his campaign to visit and pay homage to the traditional ruler of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
The PDP campaign organization said “It is however not a surprise that Fayemi made his guests, especially the Vice President to shun the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, because he cannot point to any major landmark achievement of his four years reign as governor. For four years, Fayemi promised to complete the amphitheatre in the palace of Ewi, he never did.
“The hall where Fayemi and his guests would have been received and the amphitheatre where his supporters would have seated were built by the PDP government of Governor Ayodele Fayose.
“Therefore, there is no how he would have been comfortable in the palace of Kabiyesi, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti if he had visited with those who came to campaign for him.”
