Why Afe Babalola Attacking Me Deliberately – Fayemi Reveals

Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, expressed his resolve on Tuesday to take control of the narrative surrounding his tenure in office, asserting that he will no longer allow fellow Ekiti elder statesman, Chief Afe Babalola, to dictate the narrative, as he believes Babalola’s constant attacks are deliberate.

In an exclusive conversation with THISDAY, Fayemi acknowledged Babalola’s potential lapse in memory but expressed concern that Babalola may be afflicted with a narcissistic personality disorder, hindering his ability to recognize the positive contributions of others. Fayemi’s remarks were prompted by recent comments attributed to Babalola, wherein he criticized all former Ekiti State governors for their alleged lack of development initiatives. Fayemi interpreted these remarks as targeted towards him, citing a pattern of sustained criticism from the elder statesman.

The former governor, who said he had never earned Babalola’s support, stated, “He never supported me, he supported Segun Oni in the 2007 election. But that’s fine. He has a right to support anyone. I don’t begrudge him for that.

“Even when I challenged the stolen mandate in 2007, he was Segun Oni’s lawyer in court. So, as far as he was concerned, this little David defeated the giant Goliath of Ekiti. In spite of that, I embraced him as governor and asked him to chair the Airport Viability Committee, which he was keen on during my first term in office.

“If you ask him, he will give you a cock and bull story about how President Jonathan wanted to build an airport in Ekiti and I stopped him, which is an untruth. The truth is that Tunde Omotoba, an Ekiti man, was aviation minister under President Yar’Adua.”