- Wole Adejumo
For some time now, Ekiti State has been in the news over its
political situation which has remained rather unpredictable. Ekiti has always been a land of the
politically conscious and they would do anything to resist oppression in any
form. Back in the 18th century, Fabunmi, the chief of Okemesi led
his compatriots to resist the yoke of Ibadan oppressors. By the time Nigeria
started self-government; Ekiti produced high quality politicians; thanks to the
fact that Ekitis are knowledgeable and are experts in many fields of knowledge,
though they are believed to be headstrong. The likes of Chief Akin Omoboriowo,
Dr. Nathaniel F. Aina,
Chief S. A Akerele and Honourable Kunle Agunbiade as
well as Dr. Bode Olowoporoku held sway back then. Those were the days when there
were values in politics, the days Chief Ayo Fasanmi spent representing Ondo
North in the House of Representatives.
Looking at the present day Ekiti however, the situation is one that
would make even political scientists review and re-formulate theories to understand
the state of affairs and effectively interpret it.
The botched Third Republic brought people like Evangelist
Bamidele Olumilua into the mainstream while the return of the country into
politics in 1999 brought in the present crop of political leaders with some of
the old brigade showing some good politicking. Otunba Niyi Adebayo, a son of
the former Military Governor of the Western State, General Adeyinka Adebayo
made history as he became the first democratically elected Governor of Ekiti State.
Since the change of the equation in 2003 however, the state
has not recovered from the revolution that gave Ekiti politics a new look. Peter
Ayodele Fayose, an enigmatic politician became the centre of attraction in the
Fountain of Knowledge state and almost everything revolved round him, even when
he was out of office.
The Man, Ayo Fayose
His entry into the governorship race when Niyi Adebayo had
barely settled down in office made many wonder who the “comedian” was. Many
however started taking him seriously when he showed some of the stuff he had.
Ayo Fayose is not called “Oshokomale” for nothing; he knows how to win elections. He beat
more established politicians to the governorship ticket of the People’s
Democratic Party and dazzled a lot of citizens of the state with his campaign
strategy.
It is an undeniable fact that Fayose has a staying power and
till date, he is the only impeached Governor that has ever won an election to
govern the same state again. His usual boast that he knows how to beat
incumbent Governors is not a joke; he did it against Otunba Niyi Adebayo in
2003 and repeated it against Dr. Kayode Fayemi eleven years later.
His Style of Politics
Fayose is a man who knows the worth, value and use of money
and other resources in politics. A peep into how he endeared himself to the
common man in Ekiti back in 2003 revealed that he looked at what indigenes
lacked and provided them, making the people look up to him for things that
could ordinarily have been provided by the government. At a point, he
capitalized on the fact that Ado Ekiti and environs did not have regular water
supply and he brought in tankers with his name boldly inscribed on them to
supply water. As he prepared for his return in 2014, he modified the style into
what is now known as “stomach infrastructure” and started giving commodities
such as rice and other items out to people who trooped out in large numbers.
Trust Fayose, he would not allow his lieutenants do what he can do by himself.
He usually hands over the items himself.
He is a firm believer in the principle of the “end
justifying the means”. As a politician, he belongs to the school of thought
that feels “opposition, in whatever form must be silenced and silenced
completely”.
Fayose’s Love for
Absolute Power
In the opinion of
many followers of political events, the Governor is not treading an unfamiliar path.
He started the same way he did in 2003 when he got involved in so many needless
fights. His first disagreement as Governor was with Hon. Ajigbolamu, the then
Speaker of the House of Assembly. In no time, Ajigbolamu was off the Speaker’s
seat and in came Hon. Friday Aderemi, a man who gladly did the Governor’s
bidding whenever such was required.
Then came the fight with Taye Fasubaa, the chairman of Ado
Local Government. Fasuba’s point of view
was that Local Government allocations should not be tampered with by the state
government.
Shortly after his inauguration too, the Governor became
uncomfortable with the architectural edifices put up by Honourable Kola Adefemi
and Mr. Bayo Aina, both key members of the Niyi Adebayo administration. Their
houses in GRA were declared too close to the Government House. The two men woke
up one day to find out that they had been walled in. Both eventually had to
leave the buildings after agreeing to be compensated by the government.
Of course the older generation of Ado Ekiti indigenes will
never forget how Fayose dealt with the Ewi, Oba Adejugbe Aladesanmi. At a
point, all the traditional rulers in Ekiti State received gifts of brand new
Mercedes Benz cars from the Governor. Ewi was the only Oba that was not given.
Checks later revealed that Prince Adegoke, who vied for the throne with the
present Ewi was given the same car that other monarchs got. That was what
prompted Ado indigenes to hand over a brand new Infiniti SUV to Kabiyesi back
then.
Foremost legal practitioner, Chief Afe Babalola too had his
fair share of the apprehension that reigned in Ekiti then. He alleged threats
to his life and all of a sudden, “Afe Babalola for Governor” posters emerged in
parts of the state. Fayose’s loyalists were quick to allege that Chief Babalola
wanted to be Governor and that was why he never saw anything good about the
Fayose administration.
Engr. Segun Oni will never forget his experience in hands of
mobile policemen who stormed the home of Chief Falegan where they were holding
a meeting while he aspired to be Governor. Oni who later became Governor was
ordered to lie face-down while policemen who were allegedly acting on orders
from the Governor marched on him and the septuagenarian host of the meeting.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
too was one of the victims of Fayose’s ruthlessness to opponents, real,
perceived or imagined. On the eve of a Local Government election in Ekiti
State, Tinubu, the then Governor of Lagos State and a number of former South West
governors were guests at General Adeyinka Adebayo’s home in Iyin Ekiti. By
midnight, they knew their plans to leave early the next morning had already
been scuttled as they heard a detachment of soldiers singing and observing
drill sessions in front of the house. The soldiers and stern looking mobile
policemen held the Alliance for Democracy members back till after the conduct
of the election. Of course, the ruling party had a justification; what were
they doing in another state on the eve of an election? They asked.
Of course, Fayose’s action was not without consequence. When
the Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Governor Bola Tinubu was
demolishing structures lying in canals and those obstructing free flow of
water, a building allegedly owned by Governor Fayose was one of the buildings
demolished. Before the agency in charge pulled the building down for
constituting an environmental hazard, a letter was reportedly written to the
owner to find out if he would be willing to pay for the channelization of the
water via another place but when no response came, the bulldozers moved in. After
that, there was no love lost between Fayose and Tinubu.
Cracks also emerged in the executive cabinet as Fayose’s deputy;
Surveyor Abiodun Aluko was accused of “disloyalty”. In a matter of days, he was
shown the way out.
It became obvious after that His Excellency; Governor Ayo
Fayose was surrounded by “yes men” who would kowtow just to get anything from
him.
The Familiar
Progression
Those who were in Ekiti State between 2003 and 2006 when
Fayose held sway will readily agree that his government is following the same
progression. Back then, everyone loved the way he demystified governance. People
were close to the Governor, they idolized him. The CD seller in Fajuyi, the
local canteen owners in Ajilosun, the traders in Iworoko Road were all happy.
Everyone had a sense of belonging because at times the governor would stop to
buy Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey CDs by himself in Fajuyi and on several
occasions, he would enter nearby canteens to eat while inspecting projects.
The situation in his second coming is quite similar. Now it
is “stomach infrastructure” and the average Ekiti indigene can claim to have
benefitted from the government in one way or the other. Receiving a live
chicken for Christmas from the governor is the closest some have ever been to a
Governor and that of course goes a long way in endearing people to a leader.
The progression is however assuming a dangerous trend in
that after becoming the ‘man of the people”, the same way needless fights crept
in and eventually destabilized the government might be repeated.
The House of Assembly issue is one that will not die down in
a hurry. How does one explain that in a state that boasts of at least one
professor on every street, the Governor has conjectured that 7 is greater than
19 and no one is querying his arithmetic?
Sadly, no one has thought of the effect on the mindset of
future political leaders.
About three weeks
before he was impeached in 2006, a reconciliation committee headed by Dr.
Ahmadu Ali was in Ado Ekiti. Not only did members of the panel openly endorse
the governor, they urged aggrieved members of the PDP in the state to mend
fences with the governor. While speaking in glowing terms about the Governor,
Dr. Ali said in Yoruba “gomina tiwa
leleyi, lebira leleyi, o nsise daadaa” (this is our own governor, he is a
labourer working tirelessly to develop the state). Critics of the Governor like Chiefs Ojo
Falegan and Ishola Filani were laughed to scorn and openly booed by Fayose’s
supporters at the venue.
Days after, the House of Assembly passed a vote of
confidence in the Governor, only to start investigating allegations of
financial impropriety against him a fortnight later.
Will He Survive the
Final Onslaught?
That Governor Fayose is well loved by people in Ekiti is a
fact no one would deny. That he knows how to win elections is an undeniable
fact, even his predecessor, Dr. Kayoode Fayemi worked with him during his first
term and the only times PDP lost in Ekiti since 2003 were the times Fayoose was
either out of town or against the party. He has successfully trounced the main
opposition party in the state, the APC thrice in the last 10 months, having won
the governorship in June 2014 and following up with victories for his party at
the presidential and House of Assembly elections. So massive was the defeat
that APC did not win anywhere in the state.
The only challenge Fayose however has is the management of
success. In spite of the unparalleled achievements he recorded in his first
term, he eventually left the seat unceremoniously.
Events are gradually unfolding just as they did in Ekiti
State about 9 years ago; when the Governor subdued all opposition and ended up
falling into the hands of those he perceived to be his loyalists.
While Governor Fayose basks in the euphoria of the Supreme
Court judgment, some have opined that the war is not over yet as there is still
a hurdle to cross; the impeachment threat.
There are many questions begging for answers, “Will Fayose
make history as the first Governor to be impeached twice?” Though the court has
declared the first one illegal, “what are the chances that another illegal
impeachment will not happen?”
To worsen the situation, the Ekiti circumstance seems to
have an uncommon sense attached to it;
sacking the Speaker with 7 lawmakers might eventually be met with sacking the
governor illegally, thereby jettisoning due process. Of course the impeachment
is only in the small picture; a breakdown of law and order will likely follow
and a state of emergency might be in the larger picture.
The present situation might be a cause of worry for the state
in the near future if not properly managed.
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