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.
