‘Our Protest Against Jonathan’s Subsidy Removal Was Politics’ – Fayemi Speaks

Kayode Fayemi, the former Governor of Ekiti State, has revealed that the protest against the removal of fuel subsidy during the administration of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 was all politics.

Fayemi revealed this on Tuesday while delivering an address at a national dialogue organized to celebrate the 60th birthday celebration of the founding National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy and Fellow, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Professor Udenta Udenta, in Abuja.

Several dignitaries attended the program, including Jonathan, former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka.

In 2012, Goodluck announced the removal of fuel subsidy, which led to protests.

The pump price of petrol was adjusted from N65 per litre to N141. After more than a week of protests, the price was later re-adjusted to N97.

Speaking at the event Fayemi said, “Today, I read former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview in The Cable saying our liberal democracy is not working and we need to revisit it, and I agree with him. We must move from the political alternatives. I think we are almost on a dead end of that.

“What we need is alternative politics and my own notion of alternative politics is that you can’t have 35 per cent of the vote and take 100 per cent. It won’t work! We must look at proportional representation so that the party that is said to have won 21 per cent of the votes will have 21 per cent of the government. Adversary politics bring division and enmity.

“All political parties in the country agreed and they even put in their manifesto that subsidy must be removed. We all said the subsidy must be removed. But we in ACN at the time, in 2012, we know the truth Sir, but it is all politics.

“That is why we must ensure that everybody is a crucial stakeholder by stopping all these. Let the manifesto of PDP, APC and Labour Party, be put on the table and select all those who will pilot the programme from all parties.”