Fayemi And The Future Of APC In Ekiti state, by Olajide

There is no one without a past. The past is a good reconstruction tool for today and the future. Little can you say about the future without reflecting about  your activities many years ago.










That is where it started to interest me, because a certain Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State is captured in a past that shows the efforts of well-meaning Ekiti illustrious sons and daughters in bringing him from point of obscurity to a point of limelight.


Like many others who have met benefactor at a point in time, Fayemi met a vibrant first class journalist on his way, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, he equally met the likes of Bamigboye Adegoroye, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, and many others who were instrumental in that breakthrough meeting between Fayemi and his leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2005.


The duo spoke and Asiwaju was convinced by the manners at which Ojudu and others articulated who Fayemi was— his determination and subscription to the progressive agendas and his penchant for democracy about 15years ago.


Asiwaju therefore adopted him as a student of the progressive party. He tutored, nurtured and spent his last card to support his ambition because Fayemi as at then was nothing short of a poor man who does not worth a million naira.










Even though, in 2007, when Fayemi contested for the Governorship seat, he came 3rd at the primary election but yet, was declared the standard bearer because of the believe those who brought him had about him.


Sadly, Fayemi lost to the rigging mercenaries of the PDP led Federal Government under the outgoing president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and thus, paved way for Segun Oni, in what could be described as one of the greatest election heist in Ekiti history.


After the 2007 election, Tinubu mobilized resources to help retreive back  his stolen mandate under the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The former Lagos State Governor and the National leader of the All Progressive Congress(APC) spent a lot of monies at the court even when Fayemi had returned to Ghana where he was resides then; Tinubu coordinated Ekiti ACN stalwarts and they stayed all through the period of judicial trials.


The story became fascinating when an Appeal Court seating in Ilorin ordered a rerun election in 2009. Fayemi who had deserted hope in the process returned to Ekiti State and participated in the election, yet, to witness another electioneering shortfall, hence, Oni was returned as Governor.










The battle continues. Tinubu mobilized more resources and this time around turned out savory and on October 15, 2010,  Segun Oni was sacked as the Governor in a judgement declared by an Appeal Court seating in Ilorin. Justice Ayo Salami, in his judgement said Fayemi was the legitimate winner of the 2007&2009 elections in the State and therefore ordered him to be sworn in the next day.


This was a good news to every lover of democracy. The day was a victory for Ekiti ACN and more importantly victory for the likes of Tinubu, Ojudu, MOB, and numerous individuals who never chicken out during the days of fierce battles.

   
       Fayemi Quickly Forgot His Benefactors…

After he was sworn- in, Fayemi started his efforts to return Ekiti lost glory. Yes, he was a known progressive when he was  taken to Lagos to met the leader of the party.


But the story changed when internal crisis broke out in the party ahead of 2014 election,owning to his imposition tendencies and dislikes for a democratic process to flourish. Fayemi succeeded in ousting  Michael Opeyemi Bamidele out of the party and he would later sought the platform of the Labour Party to pursue his ambition.


This internal crisis led to the inglorious defeat of the party which resulted into a new political lexicon 16-0. Fayemi suffered huge defeat because he care less about the yearnings of the people who paved way for him. This defeat cost the party the House of Assembly, Senate and House of Reps in the 2015 General election.










The labour of well-meaning leaders suddenly became futile and short-lived.


After his shameful outing in the 2014 election, he was opportune to secure a ministerial appointment under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. Throughout his stay as a minister he was far away from the party who paved way for him. The only thing he achieved was the constant bankrolling of the APC executives in the State.


Fayemi, even as a federal minister could not influence any federal government intervention program to Ekiti State in the area of mining of numerous resources we have in the State. Infact, the House of Representatives under the leadership of Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara passed a vote of no confidence on him over his high-handedness,. Corruption and mismanagement of the Solid mineral sector.


      The 2018 Struggle
After months of vigorous campaigns, Bimbo Daramola, Babafemi Ojudu were rest assured that Fayemi was not interested in the seat because his consent has be sought after. The  APC Governorship aspirants were truly determined to participate in a free and fair primary election. The motive was to give everyone a sense of belonging. Fayemi however came at the late hours to claim the ticket in a dubious way.










He was in total negation to the indirect primary which other thirty aspirants supported. Sadly, the Odigie Oyegun led National working committee aided the Governor to have his way in an unscrupulous primary election that was heavily monetized from the proceeds he made from his ministerial position.


After his emergence as the party standard bearer, all other candidates rallied support for him and ensured he won despite his unpopular stand in the State. He only won with 19000 votes across the State. A serious pointer to the fact, that he would have lost if other candidates defected and join another party.


The Chameleon Shown His True Color Once Again.
The victory of APC to many in the 2019 election was a pointer that APC has come to stay. This was because the PDP was ever an option to the people of Ekiti and Nigeria at large. Fayemi after wining the election sidelined other party bigwigs in the State. He unilaterally picked all the House of Assemblies members, House of Representatives members and Senators.

He locked up those who assisted him to reclaim the victory in 2018 and would later impose those with no electoral value on the party. Infact the process that led to the emergence of the candidates were undemocratic and autocratic.


Another big sins of Fayemi is his continued imposition of illegal party executives over the party. Fayemi has failed to call ward Congress which is supposed to lead to the election of a substantive chairman and other executives of the party. Those who labour at the grassroots have been neglected and left in abject penury while the Governor has continued to live in affluence.










      The Attrition War
These are the discrepancies noticed by the real progressives in the party. Ojudu alongside 11 bigwigs of the party called the attention of the Governor to the eroding values of the party over the lack of presence of governance, lack of development, poverty, and ultimately lack of internal democracy in the party.


Little had Ojudu, Oyetunde Ojo and others knew that the war has begun for saying the truth about the affairs of the party. Fayemi coordinated attacks and sponsored media war against the group for demanding for a fair process.


He proceeded by hurriedly commencing the suspension process of the party stalwarts and ultimately met a brick wall at the ward. The ward leaders were loyal to the group and believes in the quest by the group to bring normalcy to the party. This was a victory to the  group.










Ojudu camp proceeded to the court to contest the eligibility of the illegal occupants of the party leadership. He believes that only due process can settle the crisis rocking the party hence, he was right.


Fayemi's recent show of illegality leading to the suspension of 11 members of the party is a further proof that he is desperate and could go anywhere to achieved his ill-fated aims. But, happily, the National working committee has declared it futile.


However, It is must  be stated that Fayemi is just a mere opportunist and a renegade. A demagogue and rabble rouser who believes that only his will should prevail. He had earlier predicted the fall of the party in one of the interviews he granted to Daily Post. He has been captured in many occasions romancing with the opposition party. The loss of APC in Oyo, Edo, and many others were as a result of his anti-party activities and his 2023 ambition. These are great disservice to the party and people who believes in the party across the country.


©Olajide, a  Youth advocate writes from Omuo-Ekiti


       A MUST TO READ!
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