A former special adviser on political matters to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Babafemi Ojudu, has disclosed his involvement in the impeachment of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Ojudu made this revelation during a recent podcast interview with Edmund Obilo on State Affairs.
Ojudu explained that he masterminded and scripted the impeachment of Fayose in collaboration with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to him, the dissatisfaction among lawmakers with Fayose’s leadership created an opportunity that he exploited to achieve his goal.
He further disclosed that an agreement was reached with Obasanjo to remove Fayose while sparing his deputy.
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“I plotted and scripted the impeachment of Fayose in Ekiti. I used Obasanjo, and when he realized it, he fought back against me.”
“I had an agreement and signed that Fayose should be impeached but make sure his deputy is not. I took all the lawmakers to Lagos, where I kept them in hotels, feeding them and taking them around,” Ojudu said.
He also recounted how the situation escalated after Obasanjo attempted to reinstate Fayose’s deputy with military backing.
“Obasanjo was angry and gave the deputy governor soldiers to return to Ekiti and proclaim herself as governor.”
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“When she got there, I called people to resist her, and they had no alternative but to declare an emergency,” he added.
Reflecting on the legal battles that ensued, Ojudu revealed that Fayose sued him for libel. “Fayose sued me for libel, and Falana was my lawyer. I went to court and presented my facts. By the time we finished, Justice Daramola told Fayose, ‘You have no honor and integrity,’” he recounted.
Ayodele Fayose’s first tenure as governor began in May 2003 but was abruptly ended in October 2006 when he was impeached over allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
Despite this setback, Fayose remained a prominent figure in Nigerian politics. He made a remarkable comeback in 2014 when he ran for governor under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and defeated the incumbent, Kayode Fayemi, to reclaim the governorship.
The revelations by Ojudu provide fresh insights into the political intrigues and power dynamics that shaped the Ekiti State political landscape during Fayose’s first tenure.