Fayose reacts to President Buhari’s planned visit to Rivers, Taraba, Benue, others

The Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Monday said that
President Muhammadu Buhari's visit to Taraba and his planned visit to
Benue, Zamfara, Yobe and Rivers states, that have witnessed different
forms of killings this year was an afterthought.

The Presidency on Monday, announced that President Muhammadu Buhari
would be visiting crisis-ridden states such as Taraba, Rivers, Benue,
Yobe and others.

Fayose said, "Obviously, the President is more concerned about his
reelection in 2019 and his visit to those States that he abandoned
during their times of trouble is to seek for votes, not to sympathize
with the people of the States on their loses."

He said the President is like a selfish king who went on making merry
while his people were in agony only to show up when the people had
already buried their loved ones that were gruesomely murdered, gotten
over their anguish and moved on with their lives.

In a statement issued by Monday, by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it
was the height of cruelty that the same Buhari, who promised to lead
from the front in the fight against Boko Haram could not visit Dapchi,
Yobe State where 110 schoolgirls were abducted by the insurgents, but
decided to go on merry making in Kano.

Fayose said, "On January 9 and 12, this year, 88 victims of herdsmen
attacks were given mass burial in Taraba State. Also on January 11,
2018, another 73 persons killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Benue
State were buried in a mass grave in Makurdi, the state capital.

"Meaning that in Taraba and Benue States alone, 161 Nigerians were
given mass burial within three days! This never caught the attention
of our President. Rather, it was a visit to Nasarawa, a neighboring
State to Benue that was important to him.

"To further demonstrate his lack of compassion for Nigerians, while
the entire nation, especially parents of the 110 abducted school girls
in Dapchi, Yobe State are still in anguish, President Buhari went to
Kano last Saturday to attend a social function, thus sparking negative
reactions from Nigerians.

"Apparently, it was the negative reactions of Nigerians, especially on
Social Media and the effects on the President's reelection bid that
necessitated his hurried visit to Taraba State today, and planned
visits to Benue, Zamfara, Yobe and Rivers States.

"I am sure the people of Taraba State won't be hoodwinked by the
President's cosmetic sympathy, show of concern and crocodile tears,
which he never bordered to shed when hundreds of indigenes of the
State were being killed by suspected herdsmen.

"Nigerians can no longer be deceived by a President who never cared
for them when they needed him most.

"Therefore, no amount of hurriedly organized campaign visits will sway
the people, who never saw the President to protect them from being
killed and console them when they lost their dear ones."