Governor Ayodele Fayose has dropped his presidential ambition.
Fayose had declared in September 2017 to leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that he would contest for the position of the president, stating that he had been destined by God to take Nigeria out of the present political and economic stagnation.
The declaration was in spite of the fact that his party had zoned the position to the North.
Fayose is from the South West of the country.
Fayose disclosed that he had abandoned the ambition of becoming the president on Friday when two presidential aspirants on the platform of the PDP visited him to seek his support and those of others in the state.
The visitors were former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former minister, Kabir Turaki Taminu.
He said he dropped the presidential ambition because he was deeply involved in the battle to retrieve the mandate allegedly stolen from his deputy, Professor Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, in the Ekiti State governorship election.
His deputy lost to Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the governorship election.
He had, along with his deputy and party, described Fayemi’s victory as a product of rigging.
Said Fayose:
I dropped the presidential ambition because of the stolen mandate freely given to my deputy.
As a good leader, I cannot abandon my loyal deputy whose mandate was stolen by the APC and be pursuing another ambition.
My posters are there in a room. I am committed to the recovery of the mandate for now more than anything else.
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