‘I felt like hitting him’: Fayose recounts clash with Obasanjo at 65th birthday

‘I felt like hitting him’: Fayose recounts clash with Obasanjo at 65th birthday

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has disclosed that he was so angered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks at his 65th birthday celebration that he briefly felt like grabbing the microphone and striking him.

Fayose made the revelation in a recent interview, describing the tense moments at the event held in Lagos. According to him, Obasanjo, reflecting on his long and often contentious relationship with the former governor, called him “not the best” of his political protégés—comments Fayose said were laced with subtle insults despite acknowledging his political achievements.

Two weeks prior to the celebration, Fayose said he reached out to political associates and rivals, including Obasanjo, to reconcile past differences. “Whatever differences we have had in the past, let’s put them behind us,” Fayose explained, stressing that his outreach was not an apology.

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Fayose recounted that he visited Obasanjo’s home and even assisted him with travel logistics, including providing $20,000 for the trip. He expressed shock that Obasanjo would accept his assistance yet deliver what he perceived as a disrespectful speech at the celebration.

The former governor said he became uneasy when Obasanjo insisted on speaking last—a position originally reserved for the vice-president—and required Fayose and his wife to stand beside him during a speech that lasted over an hour. “How do you say such things to a man on his 65th birthday?” he asked, recalling that he was so enraged he felt like taking the microphone and hitting Obasanjo, but restrained himself out of respect for the vice-president and the audience.

Fayose emphasized that his reconciliation effort was sincere, but that Obasanjo’s actions showed a lack of interest in genuine peace. “If I knew this was how it would end, what do I need Obasanjo for? Am I contesting election? Do I need his validation? No,” he said.

‘I felt like hitting him’: Fayose recounts clash with Obasanjo at 65th birthday