Apologize To Afe Babalola Over Your Offensive Attack – Group Tells Fayemi

A Civil Society group known as Ekiti Patriotic Consultative Forum (EPCF) has asked former governor Kayode Fayemi, to tender a public apology over his recent comment on legal luminary, Afe Babalola, SAN.

The demand was made in a press statement issued by the Secretary of the forum, Oluwagbenga Babawibe, who berated the former governor for being unappreciative of the contributions made by Babalola towards the growth of the state.

While responding to Babalola’s comments about the “poor performance” of former chief executives of the state in an interview with newsmen, the former governor had said, “Babalola has been relentless in his attack. But I’m sorry, I won’t allow him to control the narrative about my time in office. People need to know this is malicious, and not a dispassionate and objective assessment.

“The only thing I brought to public service is my name and I won’t let people take my silence as consent as far as his opinion is concerned,” he added.

But the group felt Fayemi’s words were offensive and he must personally mobilise some respected traditional rulers in the state to accompany him for that purpose.

The group claimed that “Fayemi has crossed the red line and has committed sacrilege for using those derogatory words against Chief Afe Babalola in his uncoordinated media attack on the Aare Bamofin of Yoruba.

“We have noted the recent uncouth and disrespectful comments attributed to Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a former Governor of Ekiti State, regarding the harmless remarks of Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, the founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, at a private function of the opening of the annex of Afe Babalola University Multi-System Hospital at Irigrigiri Road, Ado Ekiti, on the 18th day of March 2024, which was meant to provide access to quality health delivery for the masses in Ekiti State, especially Ado Ekiti and its environs.

“After a cursory look at the hogwash and senseless vituperation of the former Governor of Ekiti State, a supposedly Omoluabi, we came to the safe conclusion that the Isan Ekiti-born politician decided to descend on this iconic elder stateman, a man who still contributes immensely to the growth of Nigeria at 94 years old and who still invests at least 18 hours of active work daily in the development of education and industrialisation in Nigeria. We shall take a look at some issues raised against Baba by this non-etiquette child and, by extension, pass our verdict on this ignoble act, flippant behavior, and lack of home training by Kayode Fayemi.

“Firstly, it should be noted that Chief Afe Babalola conceived the vision of building a university in 2009 when he helped build a public library at Layipo in Ibadan. At the commissioning of the public library, the entire community came out to solicit the legal icon to come and site a university in the community that would make use of the library he had just built for them, and they promised to give sufficient land for the purpose.”