Dino Melaye, former senator representing Kogi west, has berated Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti, for “demarketing” presidential hopefuls in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Wednesday, Fayose purchased the nomination form of the PDP to contest for the party’s presidential ticket.
Shortly after purchasing the form, a video where the former Ekiti governor was seen eating amala and ponmo, popular Nigerian dish, at a restaurant in Abuja appeared on social media, eliciting reactions.
Speaking on the 2023 presidential election, Fayose, in an interview on Channels Television, faulted the presidential bid of Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, and Bukola Saraki, former senate president.
The former Ekiti governor said Atiku and Saraki returned to the PDP because the duo experienced what they did not expect in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting to Fayose’s comment, Melaye, in a statement on Thursday, said the former governor is “demarketing” serious contenders in PDP to increase the chance of his political godfather in the APC.
The former senator asked the national leadership of the PDP to warn Fayose about his utterances, adding that the presidency is a serious engagement that is beyond “eating amala and ponmo”.
“Inebriated by several wraps of amala in Abuja, former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, in his characteristic exuberance directed indecent and indecorous attacks at two serious contenders for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party, HE Atiku Abubakar and HE Bukola Saraki,” the former senator said.
“Incidentally, the mauling of amala gained more publicity over the collection of the presidential nomination form, in a pretentious exhibition of dining with the masses.
“This frugal populism has since been deflated by allegations of charges for the ferreting of billions of naira from public coffers in Ekiti State. Is amala and abula so expensive?
“The issue before Nigerians now is not who can eat more but who can produce food. That is why the attempt to tar the outstanding achievements of Atiku Abubakar as former vice-president and Bukola Saraki as former senate president by Fayose would be discounted as the belching perfidy of a presidential gambler.
“It is clear from the verbal missiles deployed by Fayose that he was simply de-marketing frontline aspirants in PDP as a counterintuitive strategy to shore up the chances of his political godfather in APC.
“The contest for the ticket of PDP and the presidency of Nigeria is a serious engagement. Those who aspire to the position must elevate themselves above pedestrian conduct and address real issues, rather than dwelling on inconsequential inanities.”
Recently, Melaye said God called him thrice to tell him that Atiku is the country’s next president.
