Fayemi Denies Walking Out On APC South-West Leaders, ‘I Took Permission’

Minister of Mines and Steel, Kayode Fayemi, has denied walking out of a meeting with some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the party’s Ekiti governorship aspirants.

APC leaders in the South-West on Tuesday evening in Abuja, met with the 33 aspirants contending for the party’s ticket for the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti.

The meeting took place at the Lagos state government house in Asokoro, Abuja.

Some of the party leaders in attendance were Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the party, Bisi Akande, pioneer chairman of the party; Segun Osoba, former Ogun state governor; Niyi Adebayo, former Ekiti state governor; and Pius Akinyelure; zonal vice chairman of the APC in the south-west.

When the meeting was on break, Fayemi, who is one of the aspirants, walked out and did not return for the meeting when the break was over.

The Cable reported that the minister also shunned reporters who approached him on his way out.

But in a statement issued by his media aide, Yinka Oyebode, Fayemi said he took permission before leaving as he had another important meting to attend.

He said it will not be appropriate on his part to walk out of a meeting conveyed by leaders of the APC to find a path forward for the party as regards the Ekiti governorship primary.

“It is thus worrisome reading reports of purported ‘walk out’ on our leaders when nothing like that actually took place,” Oyebode said.

The party on Saturday, conducted a primary election to pick its candidate for the Ekiti poll, but the exercise was disrupted by some protesters at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, venue of the exercise.

The protesters had alleged that attempts were being made by some party officials to compromise the process.

The protest, which turned violent, led to party officials, aspirants and their followers as well as journalists to run for safety as gunshots were heard in and around the stadium.

After the botched primary, Fayemi accused Babafemi Ojudu, a presidential aide, and Bimbo Adaramola, a former member of the house of representatives, of conspiring to thwart the exercise, which he claimed was in his favour.

The party has fixed Friday, May 11, for the governorship primary election in the state, as they are expected to present a flagbearer ahead of the May 14 deadline slated by the Independent National Electoral Commission.