Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on
Wednesday begged Ekiti traditional rulers for not visiting them before he
attended All Progressives Congress (APC) rally for governorship candidate, Dr.
Kayode Fayemi.
Protocol demands that top
government functionaries including the President, Vice President, Governors,
Ministers and diplomats pay homage to the paramount ruler of federating states
whenever they visit.
But Osinbajo skipped this on
Tuesday, a development that attracted condemnation from the indigenes of the
state and even the monarchs.
“The monarchs didn’t find it
funny. That the VP came into town went straight to the APC rally without
greeting them as protocol dictates was – to them – an insult”, a source close
to the council of traditional rulers said.
Apparently to correct the error,
Osinbajo who left for Abuja after the campaign gathering on Tuesday, went back
to Ekiti on Wednesday.
This time, the major agenda was
to pay homage to the monarchs.
The Vice President, who headed
straight to the palace of the Ewi of Ado, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, from Akure
airport, apologised for his inability to pay homage to the monarchs on Tuesday.
He blamed an ‘emergency
assignment in Abuja’ for the situation.
However, he urged traditional
rulers in the state to ensure unity among people of various ethnic groups
residing in their domains.
Osinbajo said working for unity
in their various localities would assist the Federal Government to maintain
peace in Ekiti and other parts of the country.
Osinbajo was accompanied on the
visit by Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, Dr Kayode Fayemi, his
running mate, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, and senior party leaders and campaign
officials, appealed to monarchs to support Fayemi.
He also urged them to also
collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure a peaceful conduct of the poll on
July 14.
Responding, the Chairman of Ekiti
State Council of Traditional Rulers and Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Oluwole
Ademolaju, said monarchs would always support the government in executing
policies that will make life easier for the masses.
Oba Ademolaju lauded the Buhari
administration for various achievements recorded in office.
Reacting, campaign organization
of Ekiti Deputy Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof
Kolapo Olusola described Osinbajo’s visit as “an afterthought and a damage
control that can never redeem the image of the APC and Fayemi, as someone who
do not have regard for the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe and the entire
traditional rulers in the State.”
A statement signed by the
Director of Media and Publicity, Lere Olayinka, said “unlike the APC, we in the
PDP will continue to hold our traditional institution in very high esteem.”
Olayinka added; “It is insulting
for the APC and Fayemi to have disrespected our Obas openly yesterday, and now
come back to secretly apologise to them today.
“We are also surprised that the
Vice President could allow Fayemi to dissuade him from paying homage to the
traditional rulers.
“Most importantly, it is
unexplainable for the Vice President to have wasted public fund to come to Ado
Ekiti twice within 24 hours just because Fayemi never regarded Obas in the
State as worthy of being paid homage to.
“However, like we said yesterday;
“We were not surprised that Fayemi made his guests, especially the Vice
President to shun the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, because he cannot point to
any major landmark achievement of his four years reign as governor. For four
years, Fayemi promised to complete the Amphitheatre in the palace of Ewi, he
never did.
“The hall where Fayemi and his
guests would have been received and the amphitheatre where his supporters would
have seated were built by the PDP government of Governor Ayodele Fayose.”
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