Fayemi’s uncanny courage

Governor Kayode Fayemi of of Ekiti State stirred the hornet’s nest in an interview at the weekend when he spoke the inconvenient truth about the state of affairs in the ruling party.

Expectedly, Fayemi drew the ire of some who expected every party man to enlist in the Halleluyah chorus, regardless of soundness or illogicality of the polemics.

Fayemi must have been from another planet to have spoken truth to his party in plain and frank language rather than pampering the cracks until his beloved party caves in under the perceived high-handedness and non-inclusiveness of various tendencies within the APC.

He acted as a patriot. The merits in the genuine alarm he raised concerning the post-Buhari future of the APC cannot be devoured by the misplaced expletives and criticism that trailed the headline, ‘APC May Collapse After Buhari.’

Fayemi said this in context of the ugly developments and trends in the party in its current state.

Fayemi said, “If we are not careful; if we do not institutionalize processes and procedures in the party and make it more inclusive than it is, we will not have a party when President Muhammadu Buhari leaves government. This is because he is the unifying force of our party.”

Truth be told, there is no political party that is indispensable. Politicians and handlers of political structures who lack dexterity in managing their fortunes often bite the dust sooner than imagined.

Those vilifying Fayemi should take a cue from the fate of the then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) that prided itself as the biggest political party in Africa. The party projected a 60-year reign but was truncated to 16-years; losing disgracefully to the opposition party it underrated.

That is what Fayemi, as a true lover of the APC, must have intended to avert by calling on the party leadership and other critical stakeholders to put the party in order.

Again, it is not only Fayemi that has expressed this sentiment. Former national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; former minister, Adebayo Shittu, and former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, expressed grave concerns over the state of the party and dangers it portends going forward. Even President Buhari himself recently appealed to the party leadership not to allow the APC fail after his tenure.

Fayemi advocated for a stronger, more virile and more accountable political party and advised the party to hold a policy (manifesto) convention annually to review how we are doing in delivering our promises to the electorate. This could only come from a party stalwart who desires that his party endures for years. It is called stock taking and appraisal.

Fayemi has spoken as a brave and an independent minded person. Rather than being fixated on whether APC will survive after Buhari or not, why can’t the handlers of the party interrogate the posers he raised and get to work to avert the possible doomsday?

Enitan Olukotun,

Lagos