President Bola Tinubu on Sunday said a former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had exemplified service as an academic, author, administrator, and development expert.

Mr Tinubu shared his view in a birthday tribute he wrote to the ex-minister who clocked 60 on Sunday.

The President said his relationship with Mr Fayemi dated back to their time together in the pro-democracy movement in the 1990s.

According to him, it was a period when the movement mounted local and international campaigns against military dictatorship.

He said that during the challenging Gen. Sani Abacha era, civil rights and pro-democracy activists, especially those in exile, had to rely on their ingenuity to survive.

Mr Tinubu said that Mr Fayemi’s brilliance, commitment, and strategic skills were invaluable to the cause.

He said the struggle for Chief MKO Abiola’s release from incarceration and the de-annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, then considered the freest and fairest in Nigeria, led to the constriction of the civic space by the military.

Mr Tinubu stated that the military government routinely raided and proscribed newspapers such as the Concord, PUNCH, Guardian, and magazines such as Tempo/TheNews and TELL.

He said, “General Abacha was running amok, arresting activists, jailing journalists, and instilling fears in anyone opposed to his oppressive regime. There was a need to have a radio station covering the activities of the pro-democracy movement at home and abroad and putting more significant pressure on the Abacha junta.

“Dr Fayemi and other activists actualised the birth of the pro-democracy radio, Radio Kudirat, named in honour of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who agents of the Abacha regime murdered.”

He added that the deaths of Abacha and Abiola in 1998 changed the course of events, hence the engagement strategy needed to be re-appraised.

According to him, when Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha, announced a short transition programme, many of them in the pro-democracy movement decided to return home to participate.

“Dr Fayemi returned to Nigeria in 1999 to establish the Centre for Democracy and Development, an organisation dedicated to promoting democracy, peace-building and security in Nigeria and Africa. He also operated the centre in Accra, Ghana.

“In 2006, Dr Fayemi transitioned from being a public intellectual to a political leadership role as state governor.

“After a keenly contested party primaries, Fayemi became our party’s candidate for the 2007 governorship election in Ekiti State against the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Engr. Segun Oni.”

Mr Tinubu said though the PDP candidate was declared the winner of the election, it was clear that Mr Fayemi and the Action Congress had been cheated out of an apparent victory. We decided to challenge the election at the Election Petitions Tribunal.

“After a long-drawn, painful, rigorous and emotionally draining court process that lasted over three years, Dr Fayemi was declared the winner in 2010 after a court-ordered re-run that also ended up at the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Appeal Court,” he said

He stated that Mr Fayemi also played a pivotal role in the merger of opposition parties, which crystallised into the All Progressives Congress in 2013.

Mr Tinubu said that Mr Fayemi chaired the panel that conducted the presidential primaries in Lagos, which produced President Muhammad Buhari as the candidate.

He added that Mr Fayemi then deployed his energy and organisational ability as the Director of Policy of the APC/Buhari Campaign Council, which successfully prosecuted the 2015 presidential election.

After serving as minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term, Mr Tinubu said Mr Fayemi had the privilege of returning to office as the governor of Ekiti State in 2018.

He said as a two-term governor, Mr Fayemi served the people amid severe economic challenges, and undoubtedly made his mark in the governance of Ekiti State.

Mr Tinubu said in exercising his democratic right, Mr Fayemi joined the presidential race as an aspirant on the platform of APC ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Mr Tinubu stated, “I was also an aspirant in the party. I announced my ambition well ahead of other aspirants in our party. After crisscrossing the country seeking the support of party delegates, Dr Fayemi, on the party convention night, was gracious when he openly announced that he was stepping down for me. His decision demonstrated remarkable humility and comradeship. Dr Fayemi has exemplified service as an academic, author, administrator, and development expert. As he turns 60, I wish him continued health and fulfilment in the years ahead.”

(NAN)