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Tag: ekiti

  • Ekiti 2018: Fayemi ‘versus’ Oni at the poll, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Ekiti 2018: Fayemi ‘versus’ Oni at the poll, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Months to the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti, holding this Saturday, July 14, polity watchers had surmised that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) would have a mountain to climb, to regain control of the state it lost in 2014.

    That conclusion was based on the seeming stranglehold of the political terrain by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as powered by Governor Ayodele Fayose, on whose watch the party has swept all seats in elections conducted since 2015.

    But the relaunch bid by the APC for the state, fielding former governor and Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, gave strong indications that the PDP and Fayose’s suzerainty might not be impregnable after all.

    This notion was premised on two reasons: One, the political environment of 2018 is different from 2014’s, which favoured Fayose with the so-called “federal might” to advance his cause and that of the PDP, against the then Governor Fayemi and the APC.

    This time, besides having the “federal might” on their side, Fayemi and the APC have the backing of incumbent governors in 24 states, and a coalition of 32 aspirants that vied with Fayemi at the party primaries on May 12.

    With a combination of these factors, and a well-executed campaign spearheaded by a committee of APC heavyweights from across the country, the party would be adequately prepared to climb the mountain, and grab the governorship on July 14.

    That was the assumption until the news broke that the Action Peoples Party (APP), and a chieftain of the APC had separately filed matters in Abuja courts to disqualify Fayemi from presenting himself as the APC candidate in the election.

    The APP filed a suit in a High Court at Bwari, praying for the disqualification of Fayemi for being indicted by a panel of inquiry established by the Ekiti government, which issued a white paper, banning him from holding any public office in 10 years.

    Both Fayemi and the APC had canvassed dismissal of the case, and the court ruled in their favour last Tuesday, July 3. While Justice A.O Musa quashed Fayemi’s indictment for lack of fair hearing, he held that Section 182(1)(i) of the Constitution, on which the suit was based, was non-existent.

    In the second case filed last Monday at the Federal Hight Court in Abuja, Mr. Oladimeji Olakunle Olatunji seeks disqualification of Fayemi on two grounds: That he did not resign his ministerial appointment before contesting the governorship primaries; and that he was indicted by a panel of inquiry, and banned by the Ekiti government from holding any public office in 10 years.

    On the strength of the alleged anomalies, the claimant prays for an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Fayemi from parading or holding himself out as the validly/duly nominated gubernatorial candidate of the APC for the Ekiti election.

    Spotlighting the APP case recently, all eyes were on Governor Fayose as being the instigator, in order to scuttle Fayemi’s chances at the poll. But observers couldn’t imagine that a bigger threat was coming from within, ostensibly at the behest of a co-contestant at the primaries, former Governor Segun Oni.

    As revealed by Mr. Olatunji, he’s in court not only to protect the interest of the APC from being denied a candidate in the election should the opposition raise similar issues, as he did, before or after the election, but also to project the political aspiration of Oni, who came second behind Fayemi at the primaries.

    Oni, former deputy national chairman (South) of the APC, was expected to lead the other 31 aspirants, to work with the 77-member National Campaign Council instituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) for the election. He did not decline this responsibility. Indeed, he asked his supporters to campaign and vote for Fayemi.

    But has he been faithful to his avowal? That’s doubtful, as the director general of the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation (SOGO), Dr. Ife Arowosoge, claimed that the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation (KFCO) had sidelined Oni, and maltreated his supporters at campaign rallies for the APC flagbearer.

    Arowosoge boasted that Oni has the largest number of APC chieftains, party officials and supporters in the 16 councils of Ekiti, who, in the event of a stalemate from a court ruling or any other circumstance, would be mobilised to place him in good stead to slug it out with other candidates in the current or future election.

    So, the question of why Oni would want Fayemi disqualified has finally been rested. If he’s disenfranchised before the election, or removed after winning, Oni, being the aspirant that scored the second highest votes at the primaries, would profit as a replacement, to stand as the APC candidate in Saturday’s election (if the debarment were to happen prior to the poll) or any new exercise.

    Recall that the courts adopted this precept to sanction the APC’s choice of Mr. Yahaya Bello as candidate, and eventual winner of the Kogi State governorship election in November 2015, following the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, who led in the results already declared by INEC, before his demise was made public.

    Which brings us to where we started: That not long ago, Dr. Fayemi and the APC had only a mountain to climb. That mountain could just have been the Olumo Rock, a mere 137 m (449 ft) above sea level. Now with a divided house, they are facing the highest mountain in the world, the Everest, with a height of 8,848 m (29,029 ft). Will they be able to surmount the snowy peak?

    In a matter of six days, we would know how formidable the APC was battling internal division, and combatting a political opponent as ruthless as Governor Fayose, who, though not on the ballot, has deployed all weapons at his disposal to install his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

     

    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos Nigeria.

  • Explosion averted in Ekiti as tanker spills fuel

    Explosion averted in Ekiti as tanker spills fuel

    A tragedy was on Saturday averted after a petrol tanker spilt its content on the road after offloading at a Filling Station in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    The incident occurred while the tanker was pulling out of the filling station, spilling the remnant of its contents in the process.

    The incident would have escalated into a tragic explosion but men of the state fire service swung into action, preventing a fire outbreak around the tanker or at locations where the split remnant of its content flowed to, via the drainage.

    Governor Ayodele Fayose in reaction visited the scene and warned businesses owners to comply with standards and safety measures while going about their businesses.

    “They need to put the interest of the state and the people first. Today, many lives would have been lost because this is a tanker containing PMS.

    “In doing business, especially businesses with this kind of sensitivity, like the oil an gas, they have to keep to standard and measures for the safety of our people.”

  • Your rigging machinery in Edo won’t work in Ekiti, Fayose tells Oshiomhole

    Governor Ayodele Fayose has slammed the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over his (Oshiomhole’s) alleged plans to rig in favour of the APC’s candidate in the July 14 governorship election, Kayode Fayemi.

    Fayose explained that he and his party simply demand the conduct of a credible, free and fair election, declaring that plan to use what he called the “Edo State option” in Ekiti next Saturday would fail.

    This is just as the governor said he won the June 21, 2014 governorship election fair and square and that the credibility of the election was attested to by local and international observers such as the American Government, and the British Department for International Development among others.

    The governor, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, was reacting to a statement credited to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, that he and the PDP were being haunted and jittery about the coming election.

    “Oshiomole’s secret plan to use his fraudulent Edo template in Ekiti will never work and it will attract injurious consequences. This is because Ekiti people are resolutely determined to resist rigging right on the spot.

    “Contrary to Adams’ diatribe, rumour peddling and rabble rousing unbecoming of an ex- governor and national chairman of the ruling party, Fayose and PDP are only interested in a credible election.

    “Fayose and PDP are raising the alarm because of tell-tale signs that APC and Fayemi are plotting to rig the election.

    “The statements by top APC leaders including its former chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun that they must capture Ekiti by all means are very instructive in this regard.”

    Fayose added that the 2014 governorship election that the APC and its leaders tried to rubbish, was declared by the US and the international community as free and fair and as a reference point for future elections in Nigeria.

    He advised Oshiomhole to face the crisis rocking his party and allow people of Ekiti to freely choose their leader.

    “If Adams Oshiomhole still has problems with that election, he should address his misgivings to the US and the international community.

    “Besides, APC challenged the election up to the Supreme Court but lost. Is Adams Oshiomhole disputing and despising the highest court of the land? It must be noted that he himself became governor by the same court judgment.”

     

  • INEC budgets N600m for Ekiti governorship election

    …as police deploy 20,000 officers

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will spend about N600m on the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for next week Saturday (July 14, 2018).

    The INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Ekiti election, Prince Solomon Soyebi, said this during an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Friday.

    Soyebi, who is also the National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, said over 11,000 officials would take part in the election.

    He said, “For the Ekiti election, the aggregate is much because when we talk about the commission spending on Ekiti, I can assure you that we are spending over N600m.”

    Soyebi noted that about 280,000 Permanent Voter Cards had not been collected, adding that the collection of PVCs would stop on Sunday, July 9 (tomorrow).

    The INEC commissioner said it was likely that once the distribution of PVCs stopped; there would be no fresh registration until after the 2019 general elections.

    He said, “Sunday is the deadline for the collection of PVCs. And for Ekiti, there is not likely to be any other Continuous Voter Registration exercise until after the 2019 elections. So, we have been telling people to go and collect their PVCs.”

    Soyebi rubbished allegations that the smart card readers had been pre-loaded by INEC in order to manipulate the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress.

    The INEC commissioner said the card readers would only be programmed shortly before actual voting and it was not possible for the card readers to be pre-loaded.

    He called on politicians to always provide evidence when making allegations as this would help INEC to make amends if need be.

    Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Abdulganiu Raji, has said that the commission is not under any form of threat in the state ahead of the election.

    Raji said this during an interview with journalists at the end of the 2nd regular quarterly consultative meeting with security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Abuja on Friday.

    He also said that there was no room for rigging in the election given the kind of structure that has been put in place by the commission.

    On the insinuation that the election may be rigged, Ekiti REC said that the word rigging should be wiped off from the country’s electoral system.

    He said, “I don’t know what you want to rig again with the kind of structure we have put in place in INEC. That is what we have been explaining to the people of Ekiti State.”

    Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police for Ekiti state, Mr. Bello Ahmed, said over 20,000 security personnel would be involved in the exercise.

    The CP said the police would deploy 16,000 of its personnel while other security agencies would make up the remaining number.

    On measures put in place, Ahmed said that all the likely flash points in the state had been identified and robust security measures put in place.

     

  • Atiku, Secondus, other PDP bigwigs storm Ekiti for PDP rally [Photos]

    Atiku, Secondus, other PDP bigwigs storm Ekiti for PDP rally [Photos]

    Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus are currently in Ado-Ekiti for a mega campaign ahead of next Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

    Also Five Presidential aspirants of the party, former Vice Atiku Abubakar, fmr Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido, fmr Sokoto state Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, fmr Kaduna state Governor Ahmad Makarfi and Gombe state Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo spoke to the unprecedented lively crowd.

    Those present at the campaign ground include all members of the National Working Committee, NWC, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Governors Nyesom Wike, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Chigozie Ikpeazu, Darius Ishaku, and Emmanuel Udom.

    Also former governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, former Senate President, Adolphus Waba‎ra and many others are at the campaign ground.

  • Tension as DSS operatives invade Ekiti school, arrest teachers

    There was tension on Tuesday in Ekiti State as some operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded a popular secondary school in Ado-Ekiti, Ola Oluwa Muslim Grammar School, and arrested some members of staff.

    Those arrested are the Secretary to the Principal, one Mrs. Olagbemi, and an Office Assistant, one Mrs. Ogunrinde.

    They were arrested for allegedly collecting Permanent Voter Cards from teachers.

    The Principal of Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti, Mr. Sunmonu Olaoye, confirmed the arrest to journalists.

    He said the DSS officers came in some Hilux vehicles and right from the gate of the school, they started harassing people as if they were on a war mission.

    “The DSS operatives were in black uniforms and also wore black masks and headed for my office. I wasn’t in the office but I was on the premises to monitor the ongoing third term examinations. Some of my staff members were in my office making photocopies of their documents including their PVCs.

    “I allowed them to make use of the school’s facilities because I don’t want anything to disrupt the ongoing examinations. The DSS people just swooped on the teachers, seized their documents including their PVCs and took away two members of staff. They also locked up my office and denied us access to examination materials we were to give to our students.

    “I don’t know when making photocopies of documents including PVCs became an offence. One of the operatives even called my number saying I must report in their office within an hour or I would be treated as a common criminal.

    “We have 123 teachers in the school and the people are resolved on who they will vote for during the poll regardless of intimidation and harassment.”

    Olaoye calls for the release of those arrested because they did not commit any offence and that their documents including their PVCs should be returned to them.

    “We are in a democracy and people reserve the right to vote the candidate of their choice. Harassing or intimidating people is not a democratic practice,” he added.

     

  • Ekiti 2018: Lies won’t save you from defeat – Fayemi tells Fayose

    Ekiti 2018: Lies won’t save you from defeat – Fayemi tells Fayose

    The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of spreading “irresponsible lies”, saying that lies will not save the governor and his candidate, Prof Olusola Eleka, from defeat in the July 14 governorship poll.

    Fayose had at the weekend on the state radio accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, of planning to compromise INEC in the July 14 poll, saying also that Fayemi planned to ban okada operations and sack workers through competency tests if he wins the governorship election.

    But reacting on Sunday, Director of Media and Publicity of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, said Fayose’s lies will not save him from defeat, as “Ekiti people were done with a fraudulent and callous administration that manipulates the people always for selfish motives”.

    He said: “Fayose is haunted by his past when he criminally manipulated INEC to win 2014 election as revealed in Captain Sagir Koli audio tape where Fayose himself was heard talking about how he collected INEC sensitive materials he said he printing, including talking about how the results of the election of June 21 was collated in Efon-Alaaye on June 19, two days before the election and as was corroborated by PDP State Secretary, Tope Aluko, in his testimony to the security agencies.

    “Fayemi never plans to sack okada operators as he always insists, instead, he will strengthen their operations like he once did when he bought over 150 motorcycles and helmets for Okada Association Cooperative Society to improve their living conditions.

    “Instead of sacking workers, Fayemi during his campaign visits in the last two weeks always insisted that he will never sack workers, instead, he will develop a policy that will encourage job creation as one of the cardinal programmes of his Eight-point Agenda.”

    Olujobi berated Fayose for always employing lies to achieve the “ignoble objective of robbing Ekiti people all the time and at all times”.

    Describing the governor as a man in need of salvation from leading a life of lies, Fayemi’s spokesman explained: “The only thing that Nigerians and indeed peoples of the world must believe in Fayose is when they see him breathing, which is the evidence that he is still living; everything else is fake and lies.

    “Fayose’s show of shame as a pathological liar at the Ado Ekiti High Court hearing of a libel suit he filed against Femi Falana (SAN) and TheNews magazine in 2006 over alleged defamation of character typifies the life of lies he leads.

    “In the open court during cross-examination, Fayose recklessly lied and lied so much that the presiding Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, who is now the Chief Judge of the state, and all the counsel in the court, including Fayose’s lawyers, were watching and shaking their heads in disbelief as Fayose lied and lied so much that he was also contradicting himself.

    “During judgement, Justice Daramola told Fayose that he was an incorrigible liar, as he was found to be lying throughout the cross-examination, and consequently, the judge dismissed the case, telling Fayose that he had no integrity to protect.

    “Fayose, about 60 years old and grandfather, lied for more than a year denying that he ever collected N2b Ecological Fund and monthly N1.3b Budget Support Facility for 13 months.

    “In the case of the N2b ecological fund, Fayose never owned up collecting the money until he got information that APC planned to approach the Ecological Fund office in Abuja for confirmation.

    “The same week he owned up, he announced Ecological project contract totalling exactly N2b, even though up till now, there is no evidence of ecological project anywhere in the state, as floods ravaged the state early in April.

    “As for the budget support fund he collected to pay workers salary, for long, Fayose denied collecting the facility until the Federal Government published the figures, the same way he denied borrowing one naira until DMO published the states’ debts showing that Fayose had borrowed N56b between 2014 and 2018.

    “Unfortunately, this is the man Ekiti people are doomed to have as their governor and who Nigerians and other peoples of the world read in the news as leading Ekiti people renowned for integrity, learning and honour.”

    Describing Fayose as the Pharaoh in the life of Ekiti people, Olujobi said Ekiti people were set to return from Egypt, “and there is no amount of lies that will make them vote for Prof Olusola Eleka who the governor is propping to sustain his continuity agenda for mass poverty while Fayose and his family enjoy the life of bliss”.

  • Buhari more interested in Ekiti election than curbing killings in Nigeria – Fayose

    Not intimidated by the inauguration of a 77-man Ekiti All Progressives Congress, APC campaign council, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose boasted that the APC’s governorship candidate, Kayode Fayemi will be roundly defeated at the July 14th governorship election in the state.

    Fayose who made the remarks on his official Twitter account stressed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has shown more interest in Ekiti election while failing to provide solutions to some of the prevalent challenges in the country.

    His words, “Unfortunately for the APC, their army of occupation is facing a Peter The Rock, they will be roundly defeated and the more they gather, the sweeter their defeat. Having spent over N3bn on mere primary election, they have earmarked over N25bn on Ekiti election, they will fail.

    “I saw APC’s gathering of 77 for Ekiti election,which I regard as the Biblical Army of the Philistines that will always crumble against the Israelites.APC didn’t set up 77-man committee on economic recovery, herdsmen killings & hunger,it is Ekiti that is more important to them.”

    Recall the TheNewsGuru had earlier reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday inaugurated its 77-member National Campaign Council for the Ekiti State governorship election with a directive to members to avoid hate speech.

    The campaign council headed by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu has 13 other governors, seven ministers, serving and former senators. The former Deputy National Chairman and one of the aspirants who lost at the primary, Segun Oni, led some of the former aspirants on the council.

    Of the 14 governors named as members of the campaign council, only Ondo State’s Oluwarotimi Akeredolu attended the inauguration which was performed by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Senator Lawal Shuaibu on behalf of the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    The candidate for the election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was not at the inauguration. Also absent were many others. But, National Organising Secretary Senator Osita Isunazo said they were absent because of “communication problem,” stressing that they had not been contacted about their, membership of the committee.

    The 77-member campaign council has governors of Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Zamfara, Jigawa, Plateau, Edo, Kogi, Borno and Adamawa as members. There are also one minister from each of the six geopolitical zones.

     

  • BREAKING: Ekiti Assembly Impeaches Deputy Speaker

    The Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Adesegun Adewumi, has been impeached.

    The House, at its plenary on Thursday, also removed it’s Chef Whip, Hon. Akinniyi Sunday.

    Hon. Animasaun Adesina, representing Ekiti West CONSTITUENCY II, was elected as deputy speaker to replace Hon Adewumi, while Hon. Onigiobi Olawale, representing Ekiti South West constituency I, was appointed as the new Chief Whip.
    Hon. Adewumi was removed as deputy speaker after a motion moved by the Leader of Business, Hon. Akinyele Olatunji and seconded by Hon Olayanju Olanrewaju

    Hon Akinyele alleged that Hon Adewumi was found to have indulged in activities capable of bringing the dignity and integrity of the House to disrepute.

    Other allegations against the impeached deputy speaker were gross misconduct, lack of leadership qualities and acting in a way that could destabilize the state.

    The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon (Pastor) Kola Oluwawole, announced that 18 members of the Assembly signed the notice of impeachment of the deputy speaker in accordance with Section 92 (2c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    Members present at plenary unanimously agreed that Hon Adewumi had exhibited high level of disloyalty and unpatriotism and as such should be impeached.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon (Dr) Samuel Omotoso, nominated Hon Animasaun as the new deputy speaker and was seconded by Hon Afolabi Akanni.

    The nomination was unanimously accepted by members, while the Speaker announced Hon Onigiobi as the replacement for the chief Whip in accordance with the directive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State.

    In his acceptance speech, the new deputy speaker, Hon Animas aunt, said he was honoured by the election and promised to perform his duties in accordance with the constitution.

  • Fayemi, APC’s battle to reclaim Ekiti, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

    A major challenge for the opposition All Progressives Congress, in its desire to regain control of the governorship of Ekiti in the July 14 election, is how to counter the avalanche of disinformation, misinformation and mischaracterization that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party dishes out to the unsuspecting voters in the state.

    A sampler. Barely a few hours after the Saturday, May 12 re-scheduled primaries won by former Governor and Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a spokesperson for Governor Ayodele Fayose claimed that Fayemi was “set to pick a 73-year-old man as deputy.”

    However, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, a special assistant to Fayemi, rebutted the assertion by Mr. Lere Olayinka, special assistant to Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, which was posted on his Facebook wall. Said Oyebode: “We finished the governorship primary late Saturday night, and we’re just trying to get over the stress. So, where did Lere Olayinka hear that information? Please, disregard it.”

    Expeditious refutal of such claims is one way of defeating the deliberate false or misleading information hallmarking the battle of wits and grits that foreshadows the remaining seven weeks of campaigns before the poll, which heralds the 2019 general elections.

    And talking about picking a deputy, the clamour for a Muslim as governor of Ekiti had never been louder, culminating in the PDP adroitly nominating youthful Deji Ogunsakin, a former chairman of Ado Local Government Area, as the running mate to Prof. Kolapo Olusola, a Christian and current deputy governor of the state.

    The development, which drew applause from the South-West Muslims, who held a celebratory rally in Ado-Ekiti last Tuesday, has put the first real pressure on Dr. Fayemi and the APC to quickly respond, albeit with equal measure, to avoid alienating two vociferous segments – Muslims and youths – of the Ekiti electorate.

    That said, Ekiti 2018 is principally a struggle by a former governor (Fayemi) to checkmate an incumbent (Fayose) that removed him from office in 2014. Although Fayose is not on the ballot, he has vowed to install his deputy, Prof. Olusola, to carry on his “legacy projects” for the Ekiti people.

    Fayose, relying on his political philosophy of “100% of 100” (winning all seats on offer), has thrown down the gauntlet, derisively telling Fayemi that he and the APC would be vanquished, once again, in July.

    Reacting to Fayemi’s nomination, Fayose, via his Tweeter handle, @GovAyoFayose, wrote: “I thank the APC for giving Ekiti people a candidate they love to vote against at all times. Fayemi should not celebrate this pyrrhic victory (at the primaries) yet because it is nothing but a flame that will be quenched on July 14.”

    Another statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said: “In 2014, when he (Fayemi) was the sitting governor and I ( Fayose) was not in power, I trounced him mercilessly. I gave him 16-0, defeating him in all the (16) local governments, including in his home town.

    “Now, I have been in power for more than three years and have served the people of Ekiti well… Fayemi will suffer the worst defeat of his political career. After the July 14 election, he will go into political oblivion. He has nothing to celebrate because of the electoral disaster awaiting him.”

    Oddly, the man that gives no thoughts to another’s strength is likely to kiss the dust. Thus, Fayose’s cockiness is a distraction calculated to make Fayemi take his eyes off the ball. With a lot of ground to cover, he should concentrate on getting his “rescue mission” message across to the grassroots, who are better positioned to judge his past administration and the incumbent’s.

    The large number of hopefuls at the APC primaries indicates that virtually all 16 local governments in Ekiti are represented in the scramble to spread the governorship slot to all sections of the state. This places the APC in a good stead to win at the July poll.

    But only if Fayemi carries along his co-contestants, whose numerical strength, if well-cultivated and harnessed, could do the magic for the APC. He should have at the back of his mind the allegation by Mr. Adelusi that, “The manner of his (Fayemi) so-called victory also leaves much to be desired, as it has turned many of their party leaders and followers against him.”

    Certainly, there’s no contest without dissatisfied or aggrieved parties (as Ekiti PDP primaries also show). The good news is that Fayemi recognizes this reality. Hence, in his acceptance speech, he appealed to his co-contestants for supports, and co-opted them into the “Candidate’s Advisory Council,” for the prosecution of the APC campaigns for the election.

    His words: “In all electoral contests, tempers often rise and nerves are frayed. I, therefore, humbly appeal to all my supporters, and to my co-contestants and their supporters… that we put our differences aside… Together, we are greater and stronger than the sum of our individual parts, and no individual, myself inclusive, is bigger than our great party.”

    With President Muhammadu Buhari rallying the South-West Caucus of the APC, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, and the zonal APC governors, behind him, Dr. Fayemi only needs to build confidence in his 31-member advisory council as “co-owners” of the campaign, and put all issues on the table for consideration, and adoption as an acceptable roadmap for success in July.

     

    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.