| Ayodele Fayose |
Following the controversy of the viral video circulated on social media platforms, Ekiti State ex-governor, Ayodele Fayose has said what the ward executives in Ijero Council Area did was not an oath-taking but was expression of loyalty.
Some loyalists of the former governor in Ekiti State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were enmeshed in alleged secret oath-taking scandal.
The spokesman, Mr. Lere Olayinka speaking on behalf of his principal on Rave F.M, Osogbo during a programme, Frank Talk, monitored by our correspondent on Wednesday noted that the video was not leaked but released to a WhatsApp platform of PDP by one Hon Dayo Akinleye.
He explained that whatever is secret may likely not be found in the open or in the public domain. But the video of the meeting was recorded by those that attended the meeting.
He said, “The video was not leaked but released by Hon Dayo Akinleye popularly as Dayo Maximal. He is an unrepentant follower of Ayodele Fayose. It was released probably to show what is happening in their ward. The meeting was not called and attended by Fayose. He did not direct anybody to pledge allegiance to him.
“There is different between taking an oath and expressing allegiance to someone. In the context of the video, do you take an oath in God’s name? The exercise is been portrayed as been fetish. In Yoruba land when taking an oath, there are objects that would be in place before it can be characterized as an oath. As a Christian, you will hold a Bible and a Muslim is supposed to hold a Quran. But in the video, nothing was used. It was not an oath-taking but open expression of loyalty and allegiance to somebody.
“The same is applicable to marital vow. We even vow on many occasions in things we believed in. We vow to God that we believe him. The exercise was done on their free will.
“When President Buhari won the election, somebody said he trekked from Lagos to Abuja. Did President Buhari ask him to trek? Somebody drank dirty water from gutter celebrating President Buhari’s victory, did he authorised him to drink the water?”
He stressed that Fayose did not condemn the exercise, but advised that such expression of loyalty should be something of the mind.