Governor Ayodele Fayose shaking hands with Tinubu at Akeredolu’s inauguration in Akure

Not a few Nigerians were surprised yesterday that Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, an arch critic of everything All Progressives Congress (APC) attended the inauguration of Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State. Fayose is the last Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor standing in the South West.

Fayose, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, said: “I see nothing wrong in attending the inauguration of an APC person in neigbouring Ondo State.

“Being a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should not stop me from attending the inauguration of an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor.”

“This is a Nigerian affair; when a governor is sworn in, we have to support him; we are talking of regional integration and unity here; Akeredolu is already one of us by virtue of his new position.

“We have to support him since electioneering has come and gone and a winner has emerged, and we have to work together in the spirit of the people of our region.

“We cannot play politics with the welfare of the people of our region; we have to support Akeredolu to make the difference.

“This is a matter of the Yoruba nation and after Nigeria, Yoruba nation comes first; we don’t need to play politics with the welfare of Yoruba people.”

Notwithstanding his presence in Akure, Fayose said he would never dump his party to join APC. “How can I join the APC? As you already know, I am the main issue of the APC. They don’t have my size. They are wearing `babaringa’ but they don’t have the size of my cloth.”