Ekiti election: The heat and desperation for victory

AKINWALE ABOLUWADE takes a look at events leading to the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, amidst last minute efforts by political parties to win at all costs and by all means.

Come next Saturday, the people of Ekiti State will elect the next chief executive that will steer the ship of the state for another four years in the ultimate political contest that is ahead. As the days that lead to the historic event draw closer, the stakes are getting higher just as the heat within the political climate in Ekiti State is on the rise. Understandably the political atmosphere in the state became more active since April 14 when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on campaign in the state. Since then all the political parties in the race have set their machineries in motion for the crucial contest. But the electioneering has been characterised with tension and occasional violence that throws the residents into panic.

One of such scary events was the shooting of a member of the seventh House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele and one other person at the Ajilosun secretariat of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ado Ekiti during a reception that was organised for the party’s standard bearer, Kayode Fayemi.

With about 40 candidates jostling for the coveted position, those who should know are of the opinion that the exercise would understandably be tension-soaked. Political parties that field candidates for the poll are crisscrossing the hilly landscape of Ekiti to secure the support of the electorate in a bid to occupy the Oke Ayoba Government House in Ado Ekiti. The scramble has come with attendant burden on the residents who pay dearly for the intolerance and violence that trail the political activities.

A resident and social critic in the state who is following the event, Labake Akinyemi-Oke, expressed worries in a statement on her Facebook wall saying that it is disturbing that the politicians who claimed that their intention to serve the long suffering people of Ekiti is genuine have now turned the contest to “do-or-die”.

Political analysts and leaders of thought said the Ekiti governorship poll would be an ultimate battle among political parties. It was widely held that the contest would be keen between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state and the All Progressives Congress government that controls the centre. Although analysts agreed that one cannot underestimate the potential of the other political parties at the poll but the influence of the two leading parties are indeed overbearing.

A political scientist and former Commissioner in Oyo State, Dr Nureni Adeniran, said PDP would naturally strive to assert itself as the ruling party in the state, recalling that: “The PDP emerged as the winner in the last governorship election in Ekiti by reason of popular vote. Now they would still bank on the support which they enjoyed four years ago in securing their mandate. On the other hand APC, which controls the centre, would not want to throw in the towel just like that. That is the reason why the campaign is tension-soaked.”

The former commissioner, however, expressed the hope that the desperation of the contenders would not necessarily lead to breakdown of law and order on the election day, provided the situation is well managed by the security apparatuses and the election umpire in the state. Interestingly the two major political parties in the contest have repeatedly beaten their chests to the fact that the pendulum would swing in their favour.

At the moment, APC and PDP are at each other’s jugular with swelling allegations and counter-claims from both ends.

Speaking on his chances in the forthcoming election, the PDP governorship candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka, exuded confidence as he told Saturday Tribune that he would win about 80 per cent of the total votes. Apart from his relatively young age of 50, the incumbent Ekiti deputy governor also believed that he has a lot of other factors working in his favour.

Mr Bola Bolawole, a former editor of The Punch newspaper and media consultant to the PDP governorship candidate, said: “Professor Eleka has 80 per cent chances against his main opponent in the election, Dr Kayode Fayemi of the APC. As things stand today, Ekiti South is solidly behind Eleka because of the agitation for the next governor to come from the zone.

“The entire Muslim community in Ekiti State is behind the PDP candidate because of the choice of a Muslim as his deputy. In addition to that, the youth and students in the state are in his support because of his age and that of his deputy. Eleka is just 50, while his deputy is 39 years old. On the other hand, Fayemi is about 53 years old, while his deputy is well over 75 years old.

“Teachers in the state are also in support of Eleka and PDP in this governorship election. He has brought smile on the faces of many in the teaching profession. The governor has brought glory to the education sector in the state. We are all living witnesses to the fact that Ekiti State is occupying an enviable position on the WAEC table in the last few years. Eleka has turned around the fortunes of the state Ministry of Education which he supervises.

“The informal sector, including the artisans, okada riders, trade unions, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the various market men and women are in support of PDP and its candidate, Eleka. The market women are particularly happy with the present administration in the state because of the newly-constructed beautiful and edifying Bisi Market. They will vote for Eleka as they would to continue to enjoy the largess coming from the Fayose administration and which will definitely continue in the Eleka administration.

“Traditional rulers from Ekiti South are solidly behind the Eleka candidacy. The obas from Ekiti South came together to present a common voice on the Ekiti South agenda. They presented a letter to Governor Fayose in which they unanimously agreed to support PDP on the condition that the governor gives them one of their own as the PDP governorship candidate. Here we are today; Fayose did not only fulfill his own part of the agreement, but also gave them a credible candidate in the person of Professor Eleka who is from Ikere Ekiti.

“I can assure you that the entire Ado-Ekiti is also behind Eleka. This is because of the numerous works and infrastructural development the Governor Ayodele Fayose administration has brought to bear on the state capital. The works of the PDP administration cut across all sectors, including road infrastructures, the new Bisi Market and others. In addition to this, PDP will enjoy the voting strength of Ado-Ekiti and Ikere, the hometown of Eleka. The record is clear that the towns have the largest number of registered voters in the state.”

However in a reaction, Olayinka Oyebode, media adviser to Fayemi, said: “From all indications, Dr Kayode Fayemi stands a better chance to win the coming governorship election in the state and you can see that from the panicky response of the incumbent governor Fayose, who has lost his peace since the former Governor emerged APC candidate.

“Apparently, the people have made up their minds to put an end to the inglorious reign of the PDP government in Ekiti. Dr Fayemi is seen as the only candidate that has the capacity and that can be trusted to dislodge the PDP and restore sanity in the state.

“This July 14 election is about what is good for Ekitikete; it is about the future of our teeming unemployed youths, the abandoned elderly citizens whose social security welfare package was cut off, the civil servants that have not received a single salary for the year 2018, about every project that was built with our commonwealth but abandoned to rot away, about pensioners and retirees whose entitlements have not been paid for years, about the 10,000 volunteers that were laid off, about traditional rulers and other constituted authorities that have been cowed and suppressed, about every thoroughbred Ekiti sons and daughters  yearning for the restoration of our values and honour and about the future of Ekiti.

“To that extent, Ekiti people take this election seriously. This election is, therefore, a referendum for Ekitikete to either support Dr Fayemi to reactivate the good governance that was cut short four years ago or to approve the continuity of the abysmal performance of the current administration.

“The people, surely have seen the difference between a government that prioritised the welfare of the elderly and gave them a stipend every month and a government that does not care a hoot whether they lived or died. They have seen the difference between a government that said this is Ekiti; regarded as the fountain of knowledge.

“Unfortunately, the Fayose ‘s government never promised anything and has not delivered any thing good for the people, so when Professor Eleka talks about continuity, the people’s immediate response is continuity of what? Is it continuity of poverty, or misery which the Fayose government has brought?

“Forget all the noise and melodrama of the incumbent governor. They know that their days are numbered. The people have resolved to vote out a purposeless government led by Fayose and vote for Dr Fayemi, whose imprints of infrastructure and human capital development is still very much indelible in their hearts. Added to this is the fact that the country has moved forward and the old fraudulent ways of winning elections through brigandage and violence no longer work.”

Despite the assurance by INEC that it would not compromise its reputation for integrity, the PDP, the APC and other participating political parties at the poll warned that the governorship poll should be handled fairly by the Commission and the security apparatuses