Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, says anyone planning to “unseat” President-elect Bola Tinubu is “daydreaming”.

Speaking on Tuesday in an interview with Channels Television, Fayose said the 2023 presidential election has “come and gone”, adding that those aggrieved are at liberty to approach the court.

Fayose said prior to the election, members of Integrity Group — comprising five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and other party chieftains — were asked to support a southern presidential candidate in their different states.

The ex-governor said he will not apologise for supporting Tinubu despite the latter being a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The directive was that we should go and support the southern candidate because this is the position of the governors and the leaders of thought — and the southern candidates were Obi and the president-elect and I have done justice,” he said.

“I’m not desperate for any appointment. I’m somebody who will not cringe because of a piece of meal.

“I’m contented, but for anybody to say he would unseat Ahmed Bola Tinubu, you are daydreaming, it is a nightmare you are putting yourself through. That election has come and gone.

“In America, the former president is still saying he was rigged. He who comes to equity must have clean hands. Today, in Nigeria, that election has come and gone but you are at liberty to go to court.”

On March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

However, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP have approached the election tribunal to challenge the victory of Tinubu.

‘I WILL NEVER JOIN APC’

The former Ekiti governor said he will never join the APC while reiterating that he has withdrawn from partisan politics.

“Many people in Nigeria have been confronted with what they have said at different times and they either recant or say something new. I stand here to tell you that I will never be a member of the APC,” he said.

“I am not in politics for what it is anymore. I have been given a fair opportunity to lead Ekiti two times and defeated two incumbents.

“Nigeria is not a country we now take for granted. You will see that by the outcome of this election that a lot of people were displaced as a result of taking people for granted.”

Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has filed a petition to challenge the declaration of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the presidential election.

The petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023 was filed before the presidential election petition tribunal late hours on Tuesday.

In the petition filed through his team of lawyers led by Joe Gazama, Abubakar claimed that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election.

He submitted that Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the poll was “invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the electoral act, 2022”.

“The 2nd respondent (Tinubu) was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election,” the petition reads.

“The 2nd respondent was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the election.”

The PDP candidate wants the tribunal to nullify Tinubu’s victory and withdraw the certificate of return issued to him.

He prayed the court to declare him the winner, having secured the second-highest number of lawful votes at the election.

Orji Uzor Kalu, chief whip of the senate, has declared his bid to run for the office of senate president.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, Kalu, senator representing Abia north, said he would work for “every corner” of the country.

The former governor of Abia said he is willing to continue engaging Nigerians directly even as a presiding officer of the upper legislative chamber, adding that citizens should pray he gets the position because “it is my turn”.

“If I’m elected senate president, I’m going to work for every corner of Nigeria,” he said.

“I schooled in Maiduguri, Borno state. I started my business in Lagos and spread it across all state capitals. My first name will be team Nigeria, my last name will be team Nigeria.

“Remember, I am the only governor who has never changed my phone number, since I became governor 24 years ago. I am willing to still maintain that telephone number to answer all my calls. I am not going to switch off my phones because I became senate president

“I’m hoping that Nigerians will pray for me to become senate president because it’s my turn.”

Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, popularised the “it is my turn” phrase in the build-up to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary poll in 2022.

The 10th national assembly will be inaugurated in June after the president issues a proclamation.