A fresh public clash has emerged between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose following Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration in Lagos.

The tension surfaced on Monday when Kehinde Akinyemi, special assistant on media to Obasanjo, shared a “thank you” message from Fayose that sharply criticised the former president.

In the message, Fayose expressed gratitude for Obasanjo’s attendance but condemned his remarks at the event. “Your coming to my birthday party, I appreciate except for your very irresponsible comments at your age,” he wrote. He added, “You went so low, but I am not surprised because someone once said you are supposed to be kept away in the zoo. Sincerely, that’s where you belong.”

Fayose accused Obasanjo of displaying “the heightened stage of dementia” and said he had refrained from responding during the celebration to let the public witness “the difference between a sane and a mad man.” He also demanded the return of money he claimed Obasanjo acknowledged receiving publicly, noting that billionaire Aliko Dangote intervened to bring him back home. “Lastly, I shall appreciate if you return my money since you publicly admitted you received but Dangote brought you back,” Fayose wrote.

In response, Obasanjo confirmed returning the money through the same aide who delivered it and commented on Fayose’s message: “Ayo, thanks for your ‘Thank You’ message which undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable. Your money has been sent back through Foluso Adeagbo who brought it and in the same bag as he brought it unopened by me.”

The public spat follows Obasanjo’s earlier reflection at the birthday celebration, where he described Fayose as “not the best” of his political protégés while acknowledging his political achievements. Obasanjo recounted their decades-long turbulent relationship, including the 2006 impeachment saga, the declaration of emergency rule in Ekiti, and repeated public disagreements. He also reminded Fayose of past warnings during his governorship, particularly regarding a government poultry project that later collapsed, urging him to seek genuine repentance and embrace humility.

Despite the sharp exchange, Akinyemi noted that Obasanjo considers the matter closed following the return of the money. However, the feud between the two men, marked by decades of rivalry and public spats, appears far from over as this latest confrontation reignites public attention on their strained relationship.