Ekiti State government on Thursday said “promoters of a smear campaign” are on the move to discredit and defame Governor Kayode Fayemi over the 2023 presidential election.

The governor’s spokesman, Yinka Oyebode, said in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, that the government has just uncovered the plots by political groups who think Mr Fayemi will join the presidential race.

“Promoters of this smear campaign are advised to concentrate on marketing their aspiration to the people of Nigeria without recourse to defamation or character assassination of perceived competitors,’’ Mr Oyebode said. 

“For the avoidance of doubt, Gov. Fayemi has not told anyone that he is in the race for the presidency of Nigeria. He has always maintained that he is on duty in Ekiti State and would like to concentrate on that assignment.

“What he does afterward is in the hands of God and he will cross that bridge at the appropriate time,” he said.

According to him, the alleged plot, as uncovered, is to use some faceless political groups and political jobbers from different parts of the country to defame the Ekiti State governor and portray him as unacceptable across the six geo-political zones of the country.

He alleged that some entrenched interests within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seemed uncomfortable with the rising profile of the governor and had resorted to cheap blackmail aimed at de-marketing him.

“Every qualified adult has the right to aspire to the number one position.

“Therefore, we do not believe it is proper, decent, or strategic for any aspirant to think his campaign can only gather momentum when he destroys the reputation of perceived opponents.

“We urge members of the public to disregard the potpourri of lies and cheap blackmail that could be released in the coming days,” Mr Oyebode added.

(NAN)