Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday outwitted operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), in a cat and mouse game, when attempt was made to arrest him at the premises of the Africa Independent Television (AIT), Kpaduma Hill, Abuja.
Reasons why the SSS wanted him was not known but it may not be unconnected with his utterances against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the television station’s live programme, ‘Focus Nigeria’.
Fayose himself confirmed this through an alert he sent to Daily Independent on moves to arrest him through an SMS, saying the planned arrest was a result of his hard stance against the PDP, in favour of the Action Congress (AC).
Fayose, Ayo Arise, a senator, and two other persons were guests on ‘Focus Nigeria’, a daily public affair discussion programme on the television.
Fayose, during the programme came down heavily on PDP, Arise and other PDP stalwarts, accusing them of making efforts at over-riding the interest of people of Ekiti State in choosing who governs them.
He fell short of calling them names, in retaliation for what he considered as insults hauled at Action Congress (AC), its governorship candidate in the state, Kayode Fayemi, and other stalwarts by Arise.
The gridlock in the Ekiti re-run election was the issue of discourse on the programme.
Daily Independent investigations revealed that the anchor of the programme, Gbenga Aruleba, had prevented Fayose from leaving the studio immediately after the programme at the same time with Arise, to avoid the antagonism that characterised the discussion between the two in the studio.
It was gathered that both men continued exchanging hot words after the programme was brought to a close, prompting Aruleba, to tactically delay the departure of the former governor.
The delay, it was gathered, was the saving grace for the ex-governor, who might have walked into the traps set by the SSS men at the base of the road leading to the expansive premises of the television outfit.
When Daily Independent team visited the AIT premises some few minutes after 11.00 a.m, men of the SSS were seen still lurking around the station.
At press time, the car of the ex-governor, a silver coloured Cayenne Jeep with customised number plate Lagos IF, was still parked in front of the Ken Nnamani main building of the television station.