TheCable

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, has dismissed the claim that he betrayed Bola Tinubu, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), by declaring his presidential bid.

On Thursday, Fayemi declared his intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the APC.

In January, Tinubu declared his presidential bid, saying it is his ”lifelong ambition”.

Fayemi and Tinubu have enjoyed cordial political relationship, which started during the struggle for democracy against the military regime.

Speaking on Wednesday in an interview with Channels Television, Fayemi said Tinubu is a democrat who will not use the word “betrayal” to describe his (Fayemi’s) presidential bid.

The Ekiti governor said the presidency is not “an inheritance or a traditional title”, but an office meant to seek improvement in the lives of Nigerians.

“We have worked together on a number of issues so this is not a personal contest, this is about Nigeria and the future of our children and it is about competing vision of what that future holds for Nigerians,” Fayemi said.

“I have the greatest respect for Asiwaju and I will continue to do so but I do believe that I have a strong vision for how to reposition Nigeria and build on the legacies of the current president.

“The Asiwaju that, I know, is a democratic and I’m not even sure we will share your views. He believes that politics is a marketplace of ideas and people should test their own convictions.

“His courage of conviction is not in doubt. But I don’t think he will want to bend stamp on the convictions of others in terms of how Nigeria should go.

“But I don’t believe that we should see that as the basis of demonising anyone and I know that Asiwaju who I have interacted with will not subscribe to that I don’t believe that he would use terminologies like betrayal or whatever else you called it

“This is not an inheritance, it is about Nigeria. Nigeria is the commonwealth of all Nigerians. It is not a traditional title that we are seeking. The office that we are seeking is to make improvements in the lives of Nigerians.”