As the date set for the Ekiti State governorship election fast approaches, GBENRO ADEOYE writes about factors that could play significant roles in the poll
The Ekiti State governorship election is less than two months away and each passing moment means the state is fast approaching the big event.
It is arguably one of the most anticipated governorship elections in Nigeria’s recent history.
Political events in the state appear to be heading towards an exciting climax as July 14, the date fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the poll, gradually draws nearer. There have been compelling arguments to suggest that the upcoming election will be keenly followed nationwide.
One, Ekiti is the only South-West state not controlled by Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress. It is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party, the former ruling party and as the general elections approach, it is expected that the APC will want to use Ekiti State to strengthen its chances ahead of the presidential election, but more compelling is the view that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government is eager to thwart the wish of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to retain the PDP’s control of the affairs of the state.
Buhari and Fayose have a political conflict that perhaps started during the electioneering that preceded the 2015 presidential election.
Fayose had described Buhari as unfit to be Nigeria’s president and gone to the extent of publishing controversial advertisements in some national dailies, suggesting that the current President could die in office if elected. Although Buhari went on to win the 2015 presidential election, it has not stopped Fayose from being one of the biggest critics of the President’s administration.
Now, the ground is set for the election as candidates of various parties participating in the poll have emerged from primary elections.
For instance, a former governor of the state and one of President Buhari’s cabinet members, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, emerged as the candidate of the APC to contest the election following a primary election participated in by 32 aspirants.
For the PDP, Fayose’s deputy and preferred candidate, Prof. Olusola Kolapo Eleka, emerged as the party’s candidate.
Also, ahead of the governorship election, Mr. Agboola Ben, emerged as the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy after three other aspirants, Osekita Victor, Fasogba Ayo Peters and Pastor Omotosho Babatunde, withdrew from the primary election.
A former senator, Bode Olowoporoku, emerged the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress Party while Akinloye Ayegbusi emerged as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party.
A former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Sikiru Lawal, who had just resigned from the PDP, was adopted as the candidate of the Labour Party for the governorship election.
But out of the various contestants, the candidates of the two biggest parties – the APC and the PDP – who are also the candidates of Buhari and Fayose appear to have the greater chance of winning the election come July 14, according to experts.
The governorship poll is therefore viewed by some people as the battlefield for a ‘proxy war’ between the President and the Ekiti State governor.
For instance, a lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, describes the two biggest parties as “having structures on the ground”.
“I think speaking realistically; it is a choice between the two candidates because they have structures on the ground and track records to leverage, but my prayer is that the best candidate should win,” he says.
Similarly, another lawyer and former National Secretary of the Labour Party, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, says even though nothing could be ruled out in politics, “as of today, this election is between Fayose and Fayemi. I did not mention Eleka because it is Fayose and Fayemi that are fighting this war.”
Born on February 9, 1965, Fayemi has a degree in History from the University of Lagos; Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University); and Doctor of Philosophy in War Studies from King’s College, University of London, the United Kingdom.
He is a former Director of the Centre for Democracy & Development, a research and training institution and was reportedly instrumental to the founding and management of the opposition radio stations– Radio Freedom, Radio Democracy International & Radio Kudirat-during the dark days of some military regimes in Nigeria.
During his time as governor, Fayemi said he would make poverty alleviation, education and health care central to his programme. His administration launched an eight-point agenda, which included governance, infrastructural development, modernising agriculture, education and human capital development, and healthcare services.
But by the time he left office, he was openly criticised by some indigenes of the state for allegedly being too distant from his people and the grass roots. His construction of a new government house, in a state considered to be one of the poorest in the country, did more harm than good for his image and his re-election bid at the time. The Ekiti State Government House sits on the historical Ayoba Hill and reportedly cost about N3bn.
For example, on assumption of office, Fayose had accused his predecessor of spending N50m on two beds in his family bedrooms in the Government House. But the allegation was swiftly denied by Fayemi.
Fayose had claimed in a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti that what was spent on the two bedrooms, their toilets and bathrooms was in the region of N100m.
On the other hand, Eleka had his first degree in Building from the OAU, Master’s degree in Construction Technology from the University of Lagos in 1993 and PhD in Building Structures from the OAU in 2005.
Until his election as deputy governor of Ekiti State, Eleka was a lecturer in the Department of Building, OAU and had done so for about 23 years as he was said to have started his career in 1990 as a Graduate Assistant from where he rose through the ranks to become an Associate Professor in 2009.
On several occasions, Fayose has described Eleka as integral to the success story the state recorded in the education sector, moving from 34th position under the immediate past administration to 11th in 2016.
The state also reportedly came first in the National Examination Council-organised examination for senior secondary school students with a cumulative score of 96.48 per cent in 2016 as against 58 per cent recorded two years earlier.
After emerging as his party’s candidate, Agboola of the AD, promised to diversify the state’s economy through integrated agriculture and revive the health care sector to meet the current challenges in the state. Describing his party as being unique, Agboola said, “This is the party of leaders in Yorubaland. What is today known as Egbe Afenifere. When you look at the history of political parties in Nigeria since 1999, you will discover that the AD stands out.”
Olowoporoku, who was a Minister of Science and Technology in the Second Republic, had earlier contested for the ticket of the Mega Party of Nigeria and lost to Sunday Balogun.
Having alleged that there were irregularities, he defected to the NDCP.
The National Leader of the NCDP, Johnson Edosomwan, had expressed hope that Olowoporoku, as “an experienced and committed grass roots politician” was “capable of winning in the next governorship poll.”
Ayegbusi, a 44-year-old banker, had defeated a former ambassador to Canada, Dare Bejide, and others to get the SDP governorship ticket.
In a recent interview, the banker described himself as having a “mission to lead a people-oriented and goal-getting government in the state so as to restore her dignity, rich socio-cultural and political values, hopes; ensure equitable distribution of the hard-earned dividends of our nascent democracy; rejuvenate and strengthen the state’s emaciating economic potentialities.”
LP’s candidate, Lawal, had served as deputy to Oni in the state. After his emergence as the candidate of the party, Lawal noted that money had become the bane of Nigerian politics, but added that it would fail the APC and the PDP in the governorship election. “This is the first time the electorate will have the opportunity to elect a retired civil servant and such window should not be bungled through misplaced voting. We are set to bring the real change to Ekiti,” he said.
But speaking on what could determine the outcome of the election; Shittu notes that the performances of Fayose and Fayemi as governors would play big roles in assisting the public to decide on the candidate to vote for.
“The federal might and the power of incumbency that Fayose has might play some roles but I think that the decisive role will be Fayemi’s performance when he was governor between 2010 and 2014 and Fayose’s performance currently.
“So it will be measured on the basis of performance but I’m not in a position to say who performed better because I don’t live in Ekiti State but the issue of performance will be very decisive. People will want to assess Fayemi on the strength of what he did in government and assess the candidate being supported by Fayose based on what he (Fayose) has done,” he says.
According to Ajulo, the election will be a fight between old rivals – Fayose and Fayemi – who both contested in the last governorship election in the state.
Analysing the situation, he says, “The election is presenting a very novel scenario in the sense that this is a fight between old rivals. This is the rivalry of the last governorship election in the state which Fayose won.
“The political gladiators in the state will like to settle old scores now. Apart from that, the election will be like a compass to judge what the 2019 general elections will be like, so as it is, Nigerians seem to be focusing on the election despite the fact that it has to do with Ekiti State alone.
“And incumbents seem to have 35 per cent of the votes even before the election. I was a national secretary of a political party so I know what I mean. So it is like 35 per cent of the votes are already on the ground, so what matters most is what happens to the remaining 65 per cent of the votes. So it now depends on the way Fayemi can play his game.”
He adds, “But inasmuch as we are talking of the power of incumbency, Fayemi also has the federal might or support from Abuja. Then one of the things that Fayose used when he was campaigning was to say that he was coming to use only one term he was allowed by the constitution to use.”
“So in the same way, Fayemi will let people know that he has only one term to use and that Eleka will use two terms. Nigerians seem to like change, so all these will have roles to play.
“Again, two of them have been tested; we don’t need to deceive ourselves. This election is not really between Eleka and Fayemi but Fayose and Fayemi. And Eleka will be judged based on what Fayose has done in the last four years while Fayemi will be judged based on what he also did when he was in power.”
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Source: Punch
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