Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has launched a fierce attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, describing him in harsh terms and accusing him of being disrespectful during his 65th birthday celebration in Lagos.
Mr Obasanjo had attended the event over the weekend, where he openly criticised Mr Fayose over their long-standing political disagreements. His comments triggered a heated response from the ex-governor.
According to a statement issued by Kehinde Akinyemi, Mr Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, the former president received a strongly-worded “thank you” letter from Mr Fayose shortly after the event.
In the letter, which was made public, Mr Fayose accused Mr Obasanjo of making “very irresponsible comments” at his age.
He also referenced past criticisms, saying someone once remarked that the former president “should be kept away in the zoo,” adding, “Sincerely, that’s where you belong.”
Mr Fayose said he chose not to respond at the venue because he wanted people to “see the difference between a sane person and a mad man,” accusing Mr Obasanjo of showing signs of “loss of sanity” or “heightened dementia.”
He also demanded a refund of money he claimed to have given the former president as transport fare to the birthday party.
“I shall appreciate if you return my money since you publicly admitted you received it but Dangote brought you back,” he wrote.
The letter ended with Mr Fayose saying, “Your leopard will never change his skin.”
In his reaction, Mr Obasanjo sent a brief reply. The statement quoted him as saying:
“Ayo, thanks for your ‘Thank You’ message, which undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable. Your money has been sent back through Foluso Adeagbo, who brought it, and in the same bag as he brought it — unopened.”
During his remarks at the birthday celebration, Mr Obasanjo also mocked a poultry project introduced by Mr Fayose while he was governor, implying that the initiative was not genuine.
He further criticised Mr Fayose’s demand for a refund of a ₦10 million contribution to the Obasanjo Library project, which many Nigerians initially believed was a federal government project.
