“Despite all the wars they waged against me, I’m the first Ekiti son to become Governor twice in Ekiti. Seun, it might interest you again that I will be the first Ekiti Governor that will have a successor from his own party," he said. “I’m telling you again, write it down. If APC, if they are mad in the head, their madness will not enter Ekiti o. I heard what they are doing, I am watching them like a bat. I’m like a bat, I behave like this… like bat."
With the Ekiti State governorship election now done and dusted, the utterances of the leading players are now being recalled and placed side-by-side the results.
Of one of such recalled pre-election talk is that by Ayodele Fayose, the outgoing Governor whose anointed and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olusola Eleka, lost the election.
During an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Fayose was so sure of victory that he boasted repeatedly about his popularity among Ekiti people and listed all the political records he had broken.
“With all humility before Ekiti people, if I support anybody, whether it is from my household, they will still support that person,” he told Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloye.
When the journalists exclaimed, “really?”, Fayose responded with a swagger that can only be appreciated by watching
the video: “I am telling you; I am more than popular with my people.
“I’ve said it severally [sic], I am the first Ekiti son to win and defeat two incumbents in this country at two different attempts. My name is Ayo Peter Fayose.
“Despite all the wars they waged against me, I’m the first Ekiti son to become Governor twice in Ekiti. Seun, it might interest you again that I will be the first Ekiti Governor that will have a successor from his own party.
“I’m telling you again, write it down. If APC, if they are mad in the head, their madness will not enter Ekiti o. I heard what they are doing, I am watching them like a bat. I’m like a bat, I behave like this… like bat."
Asked what he had done for his party to deserve re-election, Fayose, clearly irritated, said: “Seun, I don’t like all this questions. I am a politician of note; I’m not pol… You see, yesterday, I was frying Garri with some women. Let them also go and meet people now.
“This oyinbo they are speaking all around will never do anything. I don’t have time for them. July 14 is almost here. Let them bring INEC behind them, bring Chief of Army staff… I’ve heard all their planning, you understand. But when you carry fire, the moment it comes in contact with water, that fire will die.”
Contrary to Fayose’s boasts, PDP lost the election. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kayode Fayemi, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election, polling 197,459 votes to beat Eleka, who polled 178,121 votes.