Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state on Friday described President Muhammadu Buharii as a nepotistic president.
This was in reaction to statements by the president of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim.
Kim had, on a televised programme, said Buhari had specifically directed the bank to concentrate its effort on the Northern part of the country.
Fayose, in a statement made available by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, said, ”The President has never hidden the fact that he is a sectional leader and painfully, because of his nepotism, religious bigotry and favouritism, Nigeria is now more divided than ever before, with the unity of the country being threatened.
”Is the comment from the World Bank President different from the 97 percent/5 percent formula of President Buhari?
”When a President opens his mouth and say that constituencies that gave him 97% votes cannot, in all honesty, be treated, on some issues, with constituencies that gave him 5% votes, lovers of unity in the country should have raised the alarm and alerted the world of the danger of having a nepotistic president, and I warned then but other Nigerians that should have raised their voice, kept mute.
“Once again, the fact that President Mohammadu Buhari is an ethnic champion, a religious bigot and the number one promoter of disunity in Nigeria was brought to the fore by the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim.
“Nigerians should be reminded that on August 15, 2015, less than three months in Buhari’s government, I raised the alarm that he (Buhari) was operating as a president of the Northern Nigeria only. Then, I described steps taken by the president since May 29, 2015 as tainted in ethnic and tribal colouration and inimical to the unity of Nigeria.
“I also descried President Buhari’s Nothernisation of Nigeria and said that the appointments made by the President negated the principle of federal character. Then, we were told that the President made the appointments on merit and I asked whether there were no competent people in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southern part of Nigeria.
“Now, with the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, telling the world that President Buhari gave specific instruction that the bank should shift its developmental efforts to the North, is anyone still in doubt as to the fact that President Buhari does not see himself as the President of the entire country, Nigeria?”
He went on to state that the president is a threat to the unity of the nation and pro-North as his silence on the criminal and sometimes fatal actions of the Fulani herdsmen have never been condemned by him.
“The father figure of this country is President Buhari and if his language does not represents unity, there will be agitations like we are witnessing now.
“I, therefore, reiterate my commitment to the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria through dialogue and negotiation.
“It is my position that for Nigeria to move forward and in unity; there must be no sectionalism, there must be no oppression and there must be justice and equity. All these cannot be guaranteed by President Buhari as he has continually demonstrated that he is a President for the Northern part of Nigeria only.”
