Ekiti 2022: Who succeeds Fayemi as governor?

The preferred candidates of incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi and his predecessor, Ayodele Fayose, as well as a former governor of the state, Segun Oni, are the frontrunners in next week’s governorship election in Ekiti state

The Ekiti governorship election holds on June 18. On that day, just about a week from today, the people of the state will decide who will succeed Governor Kayode Fayemi, whose tenure ends soon. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) final list, 16 political parties will participate in the election, comprising 14 male candidates and two females.

The commission had, on February 16 2022, published the personal particulars and list of candidates (Form EC9) for the election in its State and Local Government offices as required by law. Leading the pack of contenders are Abiodun Oyebanji as the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Olabisi Kolawole for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Segun Oni, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Two female candidates, Christiana Olatawura of the Action Peoples Party (APP) and Kemi Elebute-Halle of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), are also in the race alongside 38 years old Iyaniwura Ifedayo of the National Rescue Movement (NRM). Also in the race are Reuben Famuyibo of Accord Party, Moses Ajagunigbala of African Action Congress, Oluwole Oluyede of African Democratic Congress,

Others are Benjamin Obidoyin of All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peter Adegbenro Fagbemi of Allied Peoples Movement, Olugbenga Daramola of Labour Party, Oladosu Abiodun Fatomilola of New Nigeria Peoples Party,  Olaniyi Ben Agboola of People’s Redemption Party, Adebowale Oluranti Ajayi of Young Progressives Party and Kolade Akinyemi Adeolu of Zenith Labour Party.

But in spite of the presence of more than a dozen political parties in the race, analysts and other observers of the politics of the southwestern state are of very strong opinions that the governorship contest is actually a three horse race among the three most popular political parties in Ekiti state today namely the ruling APC, the PDP, which remains the leading opposition party in the state since it lost power almost four years ago and the SDP, which can be described as the new entrant into the power struggle in the state.

The development is a departure from the usual trend in the state where the APC and the PDP had always emerged as the parties to beat in the governorship, as well as most other elections in Ekiti state. But the threat posed by the SDP and its candidate, former governor Oni, cannot be wished away ahead of next week’s election as some pundits are staking on the party to possibly spring a surprise by snatching away the seat from the two leading contenders.

In their bid to snatch victory at the election, all the political parties and their candidates have been moving round the state to sell their manifestos to the electorate and curry their votes ahead of the election. The Nation gathered that the APC, PDP and the SDP have been more visible in the struggle for the people’s votes. “The three parties and their candidates are leaving no one in doubt that they are in the race to win. More of them have been seen talking about campaigns and other electioneering activities,” Dunni Morka, state co-ordinator of Voters Right Agenda (VoRA) said on Thursday.

The contest

Analysts and election monitors have however observed that there has been less open campaign activities by political parties and candidates unlike what used to obtain in previous elections. But party leaders and sources told our correspondent that efforts are being concentrated at reaching the voters directly at the ward and voting unit level. “Politics is dynamic and it is changing. So, politicians too are learning to swim with the tides. It is now more advisable to do house to house campaign targeted at people with voters card than doing open campaigns.

“Most of the serious parties and the candidates have campaign teams and agents in all the voting units. These are the people who go out daily to canvass for votes. The needs to reach targeted audience and also cut cost are the reasons for the change in campaign strategy by most of them. Whether the new approach is working or not, we will have to wait for the outcome of the election to say that,” Morka said while speaking with our correspondent. But some observers say the absence of the usual fanfare may not be unconnected with the attention being paid to the various primary elections by the leading political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Expected to do battle with one another on June 18 are the candidates of the three frontline political parties namely Abiodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the ruling APC, Olabisi Kolawole of the opposition PDP and Segun Oni, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Without prejudice to the other candidates and their political parties, checks across the state reveal that the above named candidates the front-liners in the Ekiti state governorship election this year.

Pundits however claim some factors, including the popularity of the political party, acceptability of the candidate, post primary election fence mending, among other issues, will determine the performances of the parties and their candidates on June 18. Analysts have also observed that since 1999, no party in the state has won re-election in the governorship race, emphasizing the much touted unpredictability and sophistication of Ekiti voters.

Leaders of the ruling APC in the state say Governor Fayemi has done enough in the last four years to ensure that the party breaks the jinx on June 18. According to Oyebanji, the party’s candidate, Fayemi’s achievements will be used to win the governorship election. “I was his Secretary to the State Government, so, there’s no way I can remove myself from his government and I’m going to benefit from his achievements. The two will work together. If a government has done well and a candidate wants to run on the platform that produced the Governor, it is natural he will benefit from the performance of that government,” he said.

But responding, the Bisi Kolawole Campaign Organisation (BKCO) Spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, said in a release, that: “Fayemi’s achievements Oyebanji can build on are banditry that has turned most Ekiti roads to nightmares, kidnappings, workers’ sack, bad roads and blanket looting of public funds. In Ekiti, under Fayemi and his APC government, even primary school teachers are not being spared by bandits, with teachers in the State having to contribute N500 each to pay ransom demanded by kidnappers of one of their colleagues recently.

“It is alarming that candidate of the APC in the June 18 governorship election, Biodun Oyebanji is joyfully saying that he will continue with this legacy of killings, sacking of workers, kidnappings and infrastructural decay and we await what they will tell Ekiti people when they mount campaign podium.” For Segun Oni of the SDP, his candidacy provides a much needed alternative to both the APC and the PDP which, in his opinion, are both no longer acceptable to the people of the state. “Ekiti people crave for something new. I am the new deal,” he said. This piece further examines how the leading aspirants and their parties stand; their strength and weaknesses, as well as their chances in the governorship election.

Oyebanji (APC)

Going by his popular moniker, ‘Omo-Ilu (Home Boy), the 54-year-old immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), is no doubt a candidate to watch out for on June 18. He enjoys the support of the incumbent government in the state and is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of Ekiti, haven being one of the youngest agitators for the creation of the state many years ago. His experience in government, having served two governors of the state namely former governor Niyi Adebayo, the current Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and incumbent Fayemi, in various key capacities for about eleven years, will also come to bear on his aspiration.

The APC governorship candidate is a seasoned administrator who served as the special adviser on parliamentary affairs in the administration of Adebayo and was Chief of Staff to Fayemi in his first term. His governorship aspiration enjoys the backing of both Fayemi and Adebayo.

He acquired a Bachelor of Science (Bsc.) degree in Political Science from the Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti) in 1989 and continued his quest for honours at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State in 1992 where he bagged his masters’ Degree (M.Sc) in Political Science (International Relations & Strategic Studies).

Oyebanji started his professional career as a Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Ado Ekiti, where he worked for four years (1993-1997) and later proceeded to work as Manager, Treasury, and Financial Service at the defunct Omega Bank Plc (now Heritage Bank) till May 1999. Oyebanji is engaged in Agribusiness and is the chairman of Con Dois Farms LTD.

The former university lecturer was also a banker, a private businessman astute administrator, and a consummate politician. He is married to a senior university teacher. He was also the youngest member and secretary of the Movement for the Creation of Ekiti, which had lobbied the late General Abacha for the creation of the State in 1996.

In the first term of the current governor, he served as Director-General, Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery; Commissioner of Integration and Inter-governmental Relations; and later on, Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning.

He has managed the executive-legislature relations, served as Chief of Staff, served as the policy coordinator of government in the OTSD, managed the economy of the state, served as an interface between the State and the Federal Government, international partners, and on regional matters.

According to Oyebanji, he drafted his manifesto after speaking with residents of the state to learn about their problems and needs. “These ideas have come from my interactions with various categories of Ekiti citizens at home and abroad. I have listened carefully to all that has been said to me, and I am deeply convinced that the task ahead is possible by God’s grace and with us working together. This is not a politician’s usual promise to a voting public but a pledge from an Ekiti man to his people. This is a promise from me to you that we will build on our achievements as a state and strive for more.

“Our proposed strategic pillars of action are all interlinked. We are ensuring that there is sufficient investment, and attention given to the specific areas we believe have the potential to create opportunities, improve well-being and deliver sustainable growth for everyone; from our elderly, to our youth, to our women, our workers at state and local government levels, our small and micro business owners, our investors, our teachers and our lecturers; and of course, our children. Let me remind you that there is no magic wand to build our state, and that the sustainable progress we want will not happen overnight. We have been on a long journey to reclaim our land and restore our values, it is now time to hunker down and sustain all our gains. Our roadmap focuses on critical growth areas we need to develop, to ensure we deliver the future we want for Ekiti. We have begun that journey, and we are on our way. Of all the candidates in the forthcoming election, I am best placed to deliver on an agenda for Ekiti that is innovative, relevant, inclusive and realistic.”

Strengths

Being a part and parcel of the current administration in the state is a huge plus for him. He is well known across the state having been part of the politics of Ekiti from the 90s. He worked with almost all the governors that have administered the state and he is reputed to be a worthy contributor to the achievements of those administrations.

His antecedents will give him ample opportunities to make contacts and build networks with the electorates ahead of the election. Oyebanji’s supporters are quick to cite his contribution to the creation of Ekiti state as one of the youngest agitators in the 90s. He is well known and respected among the older generation of Ekiti people for this reason.

When he joined other eminent Ekiti indigenes to mount relentless advocacy for the creation of Ekiti State as a 26-year-old lecturer at the then Ondo State University, Ado Ekiti (OSUA), now known as Ekiti State University (EKSU) in the mid-90s, Oyebanji never knew that the symbolic step was the beginning years of selfless services to his fatherland.

At that young age, Oyebanji had been working and interacting with eminent traditional rulers, legal luminaries, retired permanent secretaries and top bureaucrats, senior university dons, business moguls and captains of industry and other leaders of thought in the state creation drive and relentless advocacy before Ekiti State was created by the late Gen. Sani Abacha-led military government on October 1, 1996.

Also working for him is the support of the Governor and the leadership of his party. Oyebanji’s popularity was shored up across the state ahead of the election because the APC conducted its governorship primary using the Modified Open Ballot System (MOBS) otherwise known as Direct Primary Mode or Option A4 System. This took his name to the nooks and crannies of the state ahead f him.

Also, shortly after he resigned from office as the Secretary to the State Government (a position he had held since October 2018) in early December last year, Oyebanji immediately embarked on visits to party leaders and members in their wards to seek their support for his candidature, with a message that he was ready to serve the people of the state.

By the time the primary election of the APC was held on January 27, 2022, Oyebanji had, according to his campaign office, crisscrossed the 177 wards four times, speaking on his readiness for the top job, the experience he had garnered and why he believed he was the best man for the job in 2022. Thus, he had probably met the electorate more than any of his challengers had done till date.

There is no doubt that Oyebanji has garnered a lot as a learner and disciple in politics and governance. He boasts of rich political curriculum vitae of working experience acquired at the state and federal levels. To many analysts, these are the experiences he has been showcasing to the electorate. He is widely regarded as a man who has a lot to campaign with.

Another factor that worked in Oyebanji’s favour was his obvious acceptance by two of Ekiti state’s most influential power brokers: former Governor Adebayo and incumbent Governor Fayemi. The two leaders, who had managed their relationship well for nearly two decades now, appear to be further united by Oyebanji’s candidature, as a known loyalist of the duo.

Before the APC primary election, it was feared in some quarters that the issue of who emerges as the APC gubernatorial candidate in 2022 will create a serious disagreement between Adebayo and Fayemi, but as it turned out, the two leaders are satisfied having Oyebanji as the candidate. The development ensured that Oyebanji will enjoy the support of the supporters of the two across the state.

Oyebanji also stands as a favourite in the race on account of the performance of the Fayemi administration. The administration is seen to have performed despite the limited resources available to it. The party has more than 2,000 projects across the length and breadth of the state which the candidate and the party have been pointing to and using as campaign tools ahead of the governorship election.

The APC has also played smart politics to position its candidate for victory on June 18 by picking Hon Biodun Oyebanji’s running mate, Mrs. Monisade Afuye from Ikere Ekiti, the town   with second largest vote concentration in Ekiti.

He will also benefit immensely from the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presidential primary election of the APC and the new found alliance between Tinubu and Governor Fayemi. Before now, the APC in Ekiti state was divided into groups loyal to Tinubu and Fayemi, amidst fears that the Tinubu group may not work for Oyebanji at the polls. But as thigns stand today, the APC will go into the election more united than it was.

Weaknesses

Oyebanji will be contesting not only against his opponents and their political parties, but also against an age-long myth that political parties in Ekiti state do not win election back to back. As unempirical as the belief is, it is widespread across the state and analysts say it may be the only reason some voters will not bother about finding out much about the candidate of the ruling party.

Oyebanji’s campaign had to work hard to convince many voters not to judge the APC in Ekiti and its candidate with the scorecard of the federal government, especially in the area of insecurity. The opposition parties, especially the PDP, have been emphasizing on the sorry state of security across the country in their campaign against Oyebanji and the APC.

Prospect

He remains the obvious front-runner in the race. His chances of winning the election are the brightest barring an unforeseen last minute development. His candidacy and the strength of his political platform combine to give him an edge in the race.

Kolawole (PDP)

Kolawole had resigned his position as Ekiti PDP chairman to contest the governorship election. He was the preferred aspirant of Fayose, former governor of the state. He defeated Segun Oni, an ex-governor, and Kolapo Olusola, a former deputy governor in the state primary election amidst allegations of imposition and irregularities.

The 64-yearold candidate of the PDP is arguably one of the most experienced politicians in the race for the coming election. A former House of Assembly member, commissioner and party chairman, Kolawole, from Efon-Ekiti, is enjoying the full backing of former governor Ayodele Fayose who many believe is popular among the voting population.

The PDP candidate had represented the Efon state constituency in the Ekiti State House of Assembly and later served as the Commissioner of the Environment between 2015 and 2018. Prior to his emergence as the chairman of the PDP in Ekiti, Kolawole had also been the Director General of the governorship campaign of Olusola Eleka, the party’s governorship aspirant in the 2018 gubernatorial election. He contested for the Chairman opposition of the Ekiti PDP chapter and pulled a total of 1651 votes out of 1690 votes.

He was actively involved in Students Union politics at the Yaba College of Technology. In 1999, he moved to Efon Alaaye from Lagos. He became a Supervisor in the Efon-Alaaye Local Government. In the year 2007, he was elected under the PDP platform to the Ekiti House of Assembly, and was Chairman of the House Committee on Works.

He was a significant stabilising force in the Assembly and indeed, the state during the 13 PDP and 13 AC (later ACN) membership of the House of Assembly. In 2013, he was appointed by the Federal Government as a member of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State. He contested the 2019 federal elections to represent his constituency in the House of Representatives. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP.

He cannot be underrated in the build-up to the poll considering his credentials, experience and the fact that he is contesting on the platform of the major opposition party, with presence across the 177 wards in the state. Kolawole says with the support of other party leaders, he is in the race to win.

When asked why he is in the race , Kolawole said “I am contesting because we are very familiar with the situation in Ekiti. We know where the shoe pinches because the present APC government in the state has not done enough. People are suffering with no care from the government. The workers and pensioners are being owed as we speak. The roads and other facilities are bad and dilapidated and our youths are not being encouraged to go into farming and other opportunities. With me in the saddle, all these will be looked into.

“Let me tell you that the totality of all these things will make an average Ekiti person comfortable and well. Don’t forget that I am familiar with governance, having been a member of the House of Assembly, and a commissioner in the state. All these are important. The people are not asking government to make them millionaires. They just want to be comfortable. Provide adequate social services to them. The totality of all I have said is one of the reasons that have prompted me to go all out for it and by the grace of God, with experience and support of the people, the situation will improve.”

Strengths

As a former State chairman of the opposition PDP, Kolawole is widely known across the state. He is also known to have a wide political structure peopled largely by leaders of the PDP in the various wards and Local Governments of the state. The PDP candidate will also benefit immensely from the street credibility and state-wide popularity of his godfather, former governor Ayodele Fayose, who ensured his emergence as the party’s candidate.

Expressing optimism, Fayose had said, “Kolawole is more than popular. Let me give you the CV of the PDP candidate. Our candidate is a personal friend of Engineer Oni. He is a personal friend of Prince Dayo Adeyeye. He was a member of House of Assembly under Oni and Fayemi. I heard Governor Oni described Kolawole as a stabilising factor that time. Beyond that, when you want to campaign, one of the first set of the people you will choose for your campaign is the Director General of the campaign; the DG of a campaign must be a man of means, of knowledge, known and who has what it takes.

“Our candidate was the DG of Adeyeye Campaign even against me in 2014. Back to back, he became the DG of my candidate too in 2018. Why is everybody choosing him? Why are they not choosing somebody else within the space of two elections? My candidate became the chairman of PDP in an election which produced the same delegates that produced the governorship candidate. Kolawole, by the grace of God, was a member of the highest body of the party in Nigeria as a BOT member. So, what other CV do you want? He has functioned in virtually all sectors.”

In the words of the National Chairman of the PDP, former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu, Kolawole “knows the rudiments of Ekiti state politics haven gone through the State House of Assembly, served as Commissioner and later emerged the state chairman of the party. He has seen it all as a politician. He is a perfect fit as our candidate. So, Kolawole is a well breed politician.”

Also working in tandem for Kolawole and the PDP is the age-long myth that political parties in Ekiti state do not win election back to back. As unempirical as the belief is, it is widespread across the state and analysts say it may be the only reason some voters will not bother about finding out much about the candidate of the ruling party.

The opposition party is party is hoping to repeat the feat performed by Fayose against Fayemi in 2014 by sacking the ruling party from the Government House at the polls. But with Segun Oni and the SDP putting up spirited effort to make good impact during the election, the efficacy or otherwise of the famed myth is not limited to the PDP alone this time.