…accuses Obasanjo of heightened dementia
By Idowu Adebomi, Ado Ekiti
Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has launched a scathing verbal attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing the elder statesman of irresponsible comments made at Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration in Lagos last weekend.
The confrontation, which reignites a long-running political feud, has overshadowed the intended celebration.
In a volatile SMS message made public on Monday by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Fayose accused the 89-year-old former President of making remarks that were unbecoming of his age and status.
The message, addressed to “Baba Obasanjo,” read in part: “Your coming to my birthday party, I appreciate, except for your very irresponsible comments at your age. You went so low… someone once said you are supposed to be kept away in the zoo. Sincerely, that’s where you belong. I kept quiet at the function so the world will see the difference between a sane and a mad man that you are. It is also obvious that you have also lost your sanity or should I say it is the heightened stage of dementia.”
Fayose also publicly demanded the return of money he claimed Obasanjo had acknowledged receiving.
Obasanjo, responding through Akinyemi, acknowledged the message, saying Fayose’s text “undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable.”
Akinyemi further confirmed that the money had been returned to Fayose, unopened, via the same courier, Foluso Adeagbo, who had delivered it.
The exchange revives a bitter feud between the two political figures that dates back to the 2006 impeachment saga and includes repeated public spats over the years.
While the birthday event was attended by several high-profile guests, the heated exchange has entirely shifted public focus to the personal animosity between the former allies. The story is developing, and further reactions are expected from their supporters and the broader political establishment.