Secret Oath-Taking Scandal: Fayose Defends Self

By Nafisat Arogundade, Osogbo

The former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose on Wednesday cleared air on the viral video circulated on social media platforms, saying what the ward executives in Ijero Council Area did was not an oath-taking but was expression of loyalty.

CityMirrorNews reports that there was a cause for concern recently in Ekiti State as the political camp of the former governor of the state, was enmeshed in a secret oath-taking scandal.

In a video that circulated on the social media, including the Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube and seen by our CityMirrorNews Correspondent, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward executives in Ijero Local Council of the state were allegedly subjected to secret oath-taking.

Mr Lere Olayinka, while 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.