Even a goat will defeat Buhari in 2019 - Fayose

The New Chairman of PDP Governors' Forum, His Excellency, Mr. Ayodele Fayose in this interaction session with newsmen in Abuja on Friday, 20th January, 2017 bore his mind on his plan to rejuvenate and return the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the path of electoral victory. The Ekiti State Governor lamented the hunger ravaging the country, asserting that any popular candidate from any political party will defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 Presidential election. Excerpts:
Question: After you were enthroned as the Chairman of the PDP Governors' Forum, there were flashes here and there, how do you intend to sail through?
Fayose: When you have a willing mind, you achieve a lot. Leadership is about persons, it is about characters behind that position. I am a man that has a track record of reviving a dead situation, remember I said severally that I am the only Nigerian governor that has defeated two incumbents at two different attempts. Before you can defeat two incumbents, obviously, the party that defeat incumbents are not in government. So, let me assure you that consultation, reaching out to people, ensuring that information goes round, not shutting anyone out will do the magic.
Before they took that decision, they knew what I stand for, they know what I represent, I am one of the governors that reach out to my colleagues regularly and I am the longest serving Nigerian governor today. I served in Obasanjo's administration, I served in Jonathan’s administration, I am here in Buhari’s administration. So I have what it takes, they all defer to me, they all respect me, they know I am not somebody who will say one thing and go and say another thing behind.
It is important that we carry everybody along to at least do the needful, taking consultation to the next level. What I need to do, I won’t procrastinate, you must be proactive, you must ensure that this party is taken away from hawkers, political hawkers. We must respect the rule of law, we must equally join hands to ensure that we get fair judgements, judgements that are fair to us and our opponents and the judiciary should please appreciate that a system without opposition will equally consume the judiciary itself. They must do everything possible not to allow themselves to be used by the ruling party to destroy opposition. If matters are supposed to be taken expeditiously in terms of party administration and party matters, it should be done expeditiously.
Frivolous petitions against the judges must be ignored. The leadership of the judiciary must do the needful to allow PDP matters to be resolved in good time for us to put our house in order. So, for me, I will work hard, I will work with the party, I will work with the Chairman of the Party, I will work with the executive of the party to ensure that this party run and runs well.
Question: What about the bickering between the so called Sherrif camp and the other camp.
Fayose: I am not going to be specific, there is only one executive of the party that I know which is led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, so I I am not going to come here and start judging Ali Modu Sheriff and start judging anybody. This position is now a position of leadership, where we need to say the truth as it is, we will, where we need to massage ego too, we will try, the fact remains that the truth has to be told at some point.
Question: You have 5/6 states against the other guys who has about 29, where lies your strength?
Fayose: Let me tell you very expressly, it is not what we did not do or what we have not done, it is what they (APC) failed to do as a party. They are supposed to provide food for Nigerians, they are helping us, because if we carry a goat against the president, we will defeat him, hunger has no party lines, hunger does not know whether I am in APC or PDP, anybody you pick in 2019 will defeat President Buhari easily. It is not the making of PDP, it is their own making, it is their own personal making which have not provide what needs to be provided for the people of Nigeria.
The people voted Buhari because they thought he would make a change but now that President Buhari has failed them, now that the dollar has gone to over #500, the means of livelihood is now beyond their reach. When you are doing business, the middle class is gone, everybody is hungry, everybody is complaining, automatically everybody is hungry, they will go and wait for you on the election day, you understand. If Jonathan and the PDP could lose election, anybody could lose election, anybody can lose it. Obama of this world lost to Trump, so no big deal, in Ghana, there was a Change, in Nigeria here, there will be another Change. Nigeria is not a country where you can cow us, when Obasanjo wanted third term, he was resisted and as events unfold, you will appreciate what I am saying.
You will all remember I made a lot of predictions in 2015, they largely came to pass, the ones I made in 2016 has started, just watchout.
Question: Are you looking at the merger option if the Appeal Court does not favour you.
Fayose: Let's wait for the judgment, I am not supposed to preempt the judges, whenever it comes, when we get to the bridge, we will cross it.
Question: Laff, Anyhow?
Fayose: Any which way, any which way...
We are capable, we have what it takes, I am telling you, they did not just put me there, they realised I have what it takes to lead them and they have assured me of their cooperation and I want to tell you that in the next 6 months, the PDP will bounce back.
Question: And to come back in 2019?
Fayose: That is most certain, let me explain to you, whether PDP Oo, whether AD, other parties apart from APC, any presidential candidate that is popular will take out president Buhari, Nigerians are angry, they are hungry, nobody can tell them the man that led them into 4 years of hunger should come and continue so that hunger can kill them. Look at the killings in Kaduna, I am not saying killings in the South-West, I am saying killings in Kaduna where President Buhari spent most part of his life.
They don't obey court orders, they don't obey rule of law, look at the electoral fraud, the violence that is now greeting our elections, where did we have a place for violence in 2015 election, None. So, we have gone beyond this level and we thought we have put them behind us, a lot of things now that is happening is like the days of 1984 when the president was the maximum ruler and I want to assure you, no dictator will survive in this country.