As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases final list of candidates for the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, ‘YOMI AYELESO examines some factors that may sway the votes for or against the candidates.
As political parties and gladiators in Ekiti State and beyond wait for the March 20 official date for the commencement of campaigns for the June 18 governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the names of the governorship candidates and their running mates for the poll. Though the commission has cleared 16 parties and their candidates, the election is most likely to be a three-horse race among the immediate past secretary to the state government, Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC); former commissioner for environment, Bisi Kolawole from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the former governor of the state, Segun Oni in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The other candidates as cleared by INEC include: Debo Ranti Ajayi (YPP), Wole Oluyede (ADC), Reuben Famuyibo (Accord), Kemi Elebute-Halle (ADP) and Ifedayo Iyaniwura (NRM).
Considering the trajectory of election in the state since 1999 where the voters change political party in government every four years of an election circle coupled with the emerging trend in the polity, the June 18 poll is bound to be keenly contested among the political parties. The ruling APC and its candidate will be willing to break the succession jinx and remain in power, while the PDP and the SDP are waiting on the sideline to dislodge the ruling party and sustain the age-long tradition in the political space in the state.
Biodun Oyebanji (APC)
The 54-year-old immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Oyebanji boasts of the required qualities to lead the state, taking into cognizance his vast and deep experience around government since 1999. Some pundits say part of his comparative advantage and selling point is the opportunity he had to have served under the two governors produced by the progressive bloc (Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi) in various key positions for a cumulative period of 11 years, an experience no other contender for the governorship seat could boast of. Also noteworthy are his contributions as the SSG to the Committee for the creation of the state in 1996 when he was 27 years old. With strong support from his former principal and governor of the state, Dr Fayemi and Adebayo, Oyebanji from Ikogosi-Ekiti in the Central senatorial district and popularly called the homeboy is poised to secure victory for the APC. The APC candidate equally enjoys the support of the many Fayemi’s political office holders across the 16 local government areas and will also be campaigning with the governor’s achievement in critical sectors of the economy, not forgetting the federal might and the war chest that would be at his disposal during the poll. The choice of his running mate, 63-year-old Mrs Monisade Afuye from Ikere-Ekiti, the town with the second highest voting population, has further made him a hard nut to crack by other candidates in the election.
However, some observers are of the opinion that with less than three months to the election, the APC and its candidate may be confronted during campaigns on such national issues like insecurity and parlous state of the economy. This is because the APC controls the central government. Some pundits claim that a few people might also query Governor Fayemi’s perceived absence from the state. The seemingly intractable crisis in the APC at the state and national levels is another issue that the APC must address before going into the election. The timetable of INEC on the election stipulates that all primaries and dispute must be held between April 4 and June 3, two weeks to the election. In the last few weeks, aspirants for other elective offices have concentrated their efforts on their individual ambition in the 2023 elections.
It is yet to be seen if the reconciliation moves initiated by the APC candidate and other concerned stakeholders in the party have fully cemented all crcaks arising from the primary. The duo of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Honourable Femi Bamisile who are current members of the National Assembly have promised to remain in the party.
Bisi Kolawole (PDP)
From Efon-Ekiti in the central senatorial district, the PDP candidate and former House of Assembly member, who resigned as the party chairman to contest the election, is seen as one of the grassroots and experienced politicians in the state. The 64-year-old former commissioner for environment, who is enjoying the backing of former governor and leader of the party, Ayodele Fayose is expected to put up a strong fight towards winning the election. He is a well-known political actor, having traversed all the local government areas as the governorship campaign director general on two occasions, the last was in the 2018 election in the state. With unity among the gladiators and tendencies within the party , Kolawole appears set to create an upset at the poll.
However, since the conduct of the party’s primary on January 26, the Ekiti PDP has been battling some internal hiccups, especially the manner the exercise was conducted and managed. While former governor Segun Oni dumped the party with his numerous supporters, the lawmaker representing Ekiti South and aspirant, Senator Biodun Olujimi has remained silent and is believed to be weighing her options before the poll after lamenting perceived bad treatment by party’s leadership. Pundits believe the tendencies in the state PDP still have many rivers to cross to guarantee one family before the election.
Segun Oni (SDP)
Oni, who governed the state between 2007 and 2010, has carved a niche for himself in the political history of the state with his life-impacting policies and programmes when he was governor. The engineer with his distinct and modest mien enjoys a tremendous goodwill among the populace, especially the civil servants because of the impressive governance he ran during his first term. His defection from the PDP and subsequently securing the governorship ticket of the SDP has largely changed the general permutations and atmosphere ahead of the election, making him a big threat to the ruling APC and the Fayose-backed PDP. The choice of his running mate in the person of Ladi Owolabi from Ado-Ekiti, a town with the largest voting population, has also boosted his chances at the poll. Owolabi was a staunch member of the APC and chairman of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA) in the local government. Oni remains one of the few politicians in the state who has large following and supporters across party lines, which may work in his favour during the election.
But since the return to democratic rule in 1999 in the state, Ekiti has been known for two-party system despite the multi-party system being practised in the country. In the nation’s political trajectory, the place of a Third Force dislodging dominant parties at elections always appears a tall order. But will SDP break the jinx? Though with reported influential backers within and outside the state, the SDP may also want to rely on the critical mass of the people to make hay. Coupled with that factor is the outcry by many against those they called recycled leaders and the need for fresh and younger persons in position of authority.
Since the INEC unveiled the candidates’ list for the election, most public discussion in the state have centred on the pedigree, capacity and capability of the individual contestants. Another related issue is the place of perceived godfathers, given the role they played in past elections. How far can they go this time round as the clock ticks ahead of the D-Day in Ekiti?
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