If there is a governor in Nigeria who has broken the Guinness World Records in controversy; it is Peter Ayodele Fayose, the executive Governor of Ekiti State. He is a man who takes delight in controversy and usually looks for one even when there is none. He is one man who has an antecedent of courting controversies both in his private and public life.
Fayose took his controversial nature to another dimension in 2009, when he engaged his siblings in dirty war over their father’s final resting place. What ought to have been settled amicably within the family became a public debate because of Fayose’s insolence.
Ayo Fayose rather than using maturity to handle the issue of burial of his father then led a group of those who wanted the old man buried in his home town, Afao-Ekiti, Ekiti State, while the other group insisted on respecting the last wish of the former Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) leader that he be buried at his Ibadan home. At the end of the day, Fayose had his way by burying his father at Afao-Ekiti, but not without sowing embers of disunity within the family.
It is a well-known fact that a no-love-lost relationship has always existed between Governor Fayose and his siblings. The frosty relationship among the family members, re-echoed a few days ago. This time around, the self-styled Ekiti governor was given a punch in the face, when Isaac, his younger brother, launched a verbal tirade against him.
Isaac Fayose, a businessman, owns Alibi Lounge in Lekki. He had expressed his disgust with his elder brother through a scathing broadcast he posted on a social media forum. The younger Fayose was angry with his brother for refusing to honour their late sister, Bimpe Sorinolu, with newspaper advertorials and a prayer session, on the occasion of her second year memorial.
According to Isaac, “Gov. Fayose can rush to the media houses to place front page adverts of death wish for Buhari but cannot remember to place a quarter page adverts in remembrance of his sister, Bimpe Sorinolu who died of cancer exactly two years ago today. Shame!”
Before long, the scathing remark went viral and most people had anticipated there would be more follow-ups to Isaac’s display of vitriol. However, some of Governor Fayose’s political associates, notably, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro were reported to have waded in and prevailed on Isaac to cease fire.
Sources disclosed to The ELITES that Isaac and some of his other siblings are incensed with their brother over his inability to outgrow his veiled hatred for their late sister, Bimpe. It would be recalled that Fayose’s turbulent first term as Ekiti governor was fraught by family wrangling, which made many newspaper headline news. He allegedly, blamed Bimpe for igniting the family feud. Although, the two siblings, who were so fond of each other (Fayose had actually given out Bimpe’s hand in marriage) later reconciled, shortly after Bimpe took ill, some of the Fayose siblings insist that the Ekiti governor still feels aggrieved towards their late sister. They were said to have felt slighted by his refusal to honour her second year memorial with a newspaper advertorial.