The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has stated very clearly that at no occasion was he barred from seeing President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited the Aso Villa as has been reported in one of the National Dailies.

According to a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, the governor accused a senior presidential aide of planting the story.

Fayemi claimed that the aide, who is a former lawmaker, told close associates that he would battle him with “falsehood and cheap blackmail”.

The statement insisted that Fayemi had no plan to see Buhari on Tuesday, as he had met him earlier in the day, along with Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).

Also present at that meeting were the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

“The Ekiti State Governor was never denied any opportunity to see President Buhari as he did not ask to see the President and neither did he go with Chief Giadom,” the statement added.

“For the purpose of clarity, it is important to state that the Nation’s report was clearly a misleading one designed to cast aspersion on the person of Governor Fayemi and create an impression that the NGF Chairman is an unwanted visitor at the Villa. The largely unsubstantiated report was filled with bile, childish and unexplainable fury that signified nothing, just like a tale fit only for the tabloids.

“We therefore implore the general public to disregard the highly illogical concoction that was served as an exclusive story.

“In setting the record straight, we hereby state unequivocally that Governor Fayemi had no plan nor reason to see Mr President on Tuesday late afternoon as maliciously presented in the Nation’s report.

“The Ekiti State Governor was never denied any opportunity to see President Buhari as he did not ask to see the President and neither did he go with Chief Giadom. .

“We are aware of surreptitious efforts to demonise and blackmail Governor Fayemi on account of the challenges the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is undergoing.

“We have tried not to join issues with the barrage of falsehood, personality attacks and campaign of calumny against Governor Fayemi on social media in the last two weeks because it is not in Dr Fayemi’s character to engage in unintelligent rabblerousing in the media. As a principled democrat, Dr Fayemi is committed to fighting for the principles of democracy within the political party he laboured with other notable Nigerians to birth. It is normal for political leaders to be in disagreement, but it should not lead to campaigns of calumny based on falsehood.

“Governor Fayemi’s position on the APC crisis has been to consistently subsume his views in the position of the Progressives Governors Forum as expressed by the Chairman. He has not spoken on the party crisis in any public forum but continue to urge all members and lovers of the party to exercise restraint and support the leader of the party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other leaders desirous of resolution to give peace a chance.

“We implore the Nation Newspaper and other media organisations to be wary of unfounded stories wrapped as “exclusives” by disgruntled elements like the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu who are now masquerading as news