Why Ekiti election is important to APC

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and presidency have not hidden their desperation to win the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. The election seems so important to them that they are ready to spend everything to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate but was quite to have a sitting governor losing all the local government areas in his domain to the opposition party. It was a huge slap on the face of the APC-led administration in Ekiti State because when  the then sitting governor, Kayode Fayemi lost to the PDP’c candidate, Ayo Fayose at that time, the APC was struggling to have a foothold across the country.

Fayemi conceded the shocking defeat just as Mr. Ayo Fayose was sworn in for the second time.

Though they bowed to the pressure, the party and the former governor continued to lick their wounds and had to wait till 2018 when they will take their pound of flesh on the 2014 winners.

Internal crisis, criticism, massive defection to other parties were expected to follow the keenly contested APC primary election that produced the minister of steel and mineral resources as APC’s governorship candidate.

Tensions were rife until the Al-Makura-led committee declared Dr Fayemi the winner of the rescheduled primary election. All other 32 aspirants accepted the outcome in good faith and joined their forces to face one political foe.

That Dr Fayemi lost the election inexplicably didn’t stop him from emerging as the APC candidate. The ruling APC and presidency have some things to achieve even though the main objective is to win the election.

Though the PDP was at the helm of affairs of the country in 2014, it was an opposition in Ekiti State. To further enlarge its popularity, winning the 2014 governorship election became imperative.

Every political party will want to win every election it contests in. So, the federal might was deployed to Ekiti State to boost the chance of its candidate, Mr Ayo Fayose, and the party ahead of the 2015 general elections.

This is a time the APC is struggling to calm all frayed nerves and to convince the electorate that it can achieve the desired and outlined change it preaches that it is capable of securing lives and properties and improve the economy of the country.

Amidst numerous challenges Nigeria is facing, the ruling party is still projecting itself as the much-needed party that will proffer lasting solutions to the problems. A victory in the Ekiti election will be used, to some extent, to justify its popularity and acceptability.

Timothy Faboade,

Gbongan, Osun State.