President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, has disclosed that the president refrained from removing former Governor Ayodele Fayose from office at a time he had the powers and opportunities to remove the Ekiti governor.

Adesina made the disclosure in an article he wrote to commemorate Buhari’s 80th birthday anniversary, slated for December 17.

In his weekly article titled: ‘Buhari at 80: No Malicious Bone In His Body,’ the presidential spokesman recounted how Fayose had criticized Buhari during the 2014 campaigns.

Adesina noted that after the president won the election, he could have retaliated against Fayose by mobilizing the state House of Assembly against Fayose.

The article reads: “How about Ayo Fayose, the Irunmole that eats Jollof rice. The former Ekiti State Governor had taken a stand against Buhari since 2014, during the campaigns. There was that infamous advertisement he placed in newspapers, displaying a coffin, and insinuating that if Buhari was elected, he would not last the distance.

“Fayose’s party was beaten black and blue, and entered President Buhari. What would an average, vengeful person have done, if he were in the mould of the man with the teacup and saucer?

“When Buhari came, the Ekiti House of Assembly was largely populated by APC members, whom Fayose had inherited. What to do? Just give a directive: remove that Governor within a week, and he directs the Inspector General of Police to lock down the Assembly chamber. But not Buhari. Why? Because he has no malicious bone in his body.”

He recalled that Buhari gave Fayose a warm handshake during a Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa.”