Ayo Fayose and Bode George resign from partisan politics following Tinubu's victory

FORMER Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and retired from partisan politics following the party's recent loss in last Saturday's presidential elections.

Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president and in the early hours of yesterday morning, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Inec chairman who served as the returning officer for the election, declared Asiwaju Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726  votes, defeating his nearest opponent, former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who came second with 6,984,520 votes.

Among the main frontrunners in the elections were former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and Governor Obi of the Labour Party. In what was effectively a three-horse race, Governor Obi was the surprise package of the elections as his Labour Party came from nowhere to win 12 states, as did the other two parties.

As of Tuesday, the PDP was challenging the results, saying they were flawed and called on Professor Yakubu to cancel the elections and stand down as Inec chairman. Alhaji Abubakar's running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State led these calls in conjunction with Senator Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, the running mate of the Labour Party.

However, Governor Fayose has refused to go along with the stance of his party, congratulating president-elect Tinubu on his victory in the presidential elections yesterday. Governor Fayose accepted the Inec figures which gave Asiwaju Tinubu victory, put Alhaji Abubakar second and declared Governor Obi of third.

Earlier today, Governor Fayose took things further announcing his resignation from the PDP while also saying he will retire from partisan politics. Speaking on Arise TV, Governor Fayose revealed that Alhaji Abubakar contributed to his own downfall by rejecting the offer of one-term put to him by the PDP's G5 group of governors.

Also, PDP leader in Lagos State Chief Bode George, said he too would retire from active politics after the governorship elections on March 11. Featuring on Arise News, Chief George accused the Inec chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu of not living up to his promises of ensuring a free and fair election.

Chief George said: “I have decided to retire from partisan politics after the governorship election and I can decide to go and live anywhere. I want a peaceful life for myself.

“I know this fellow Tinubu and he’s not for them. If he had gone through the process, I would have congratulated him. You can’t go through darkness to get to light. I can go and live anywhere, it can be Ghana, Togo, or still remain in Nigeria.”