Assistant Editor, LEKE SALAUDEEN, examines the similarities in the build-up to Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial polls and their effects on democratic process.
THE governorship election in Osun State holds today, barely 48 days after that of Ekiti was held. Many are yet to get over the unexpected loss of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by a former governor of the state, Mr Ayodele Fayose, of the Peoples Democratic Party in the June 21, 2014. Of course, the outcome of that poll is still being contested by the APC at the tribunal.
Analysts have speculated on factors that directly or indirectly led to the unexpected loss of Fayemi which they believe would serve as lessons for the APC in subsequent elections, especially the Osun governorship election. Against the backdrop of the argument that we can’t compare Ekiti with Osun, in observers’ view, the election in the two states share many things in common.
In Ekiti, the APC fielded a sitting governor, ditto for Osun. Many had thought that given the performance of Fayemi, his victory was not negotiable. Similarly, Osun State has witnessed tremendous development under Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the last four years. The Ekiti experience has proved that that performance and incumbency factor may not necessarily guarantee a sitting governor’s victory at the poll. Even though, the ultimate goal of going into politics is to serve people. The rule is that you go into politics and campaign making promises to the electorate and once you are able to keep your promises, you should be rewarded by the electorate.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in Ekiti because Nigeria politics is not only a do- or -die affair but is also the most lucrative business for corrupt enrichment. The situation in Ekiti is so because not even the PDP had said Fayemi lost because he has not performed but because he didn’t put money in peoples pocket or that he failed to ‘connect’ with people.
Similarly, some have criticised Aregbesola for not making politicians ‘happy’ by not sharing the state fund as was the practice before he assumed office as state governor. But he prefers to spend public fund on projects that will benefit the larger society to lining the pockets of individuals.
The most reasonable thing, analysts have argued, is what Aregbesola has done by improving the lot of the majority which shows that he is working in the best interest of the people. That should be a source of strength and count in a positive way for him. In fact, to the governor, there is no excess fund in Osun to share. He raised an alarm recently that the Federal Government has crippled the state financially by withholding 40 per cent of its monthly revenue allocation ahead of August 9 poll in order to pitch him (Aregbesola) against his people.
In spite of his outstanding performance, Aregbesola did not rest on his oars. He traversed every nook and cranny of Osun State campaigning for votes. He was not contended with the idea that tumultuous crowds at campaign venues alone will automatically translate to massive support for him on election day. He also embarked on door-to-door campaigns through the party agents, apart from having sessions with professionals and organised groups in the state to present his programme. He did this because he realised that given the increasing level of poverty and the alarming rate of illiteracy among Nigerians, his opponents can use money and foodstuff, as well as diabolical means to attract unsuspecting hapless voters to vote for them.
The PDP is desperate in reclaiming the South-West states again. Its strategic choice of a former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, as its candidate for the 2014 governorship election must have been well thought out. Perhaps, the PDP believes that like Fayose in the case of Ekiti, Omisore will, of all contestants, be the only one that can give a very formidable incumbent like Aregbesola energy-sapping challenge to ensure victory.
As it happened in Ekiti when the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Minster of Police, Chief Jelili Adeshiyan, Chris Uba and Dayo Adeyeye stormed the state during the election, some PDP chieftains have arrived Osun ahead of today’s election. Those nightmarish, worrisome and traumatic experiences, including arrest and detention of opposition chieftains as well as excessive militarisation of the electoral process that chacterised the Ekiti election, have featured again in Osun.
Ahead of today’s governorship poll, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government made good his plan to militarise Osun State. No fewer than 5,000 Department of State Security (DSS) operatives arrived Osogbo, the state capital, last week. In a show of strength, the hooded operatives clad in black vests and trousers shot sporadically into the air while moving round the state. The fear of clamp down on the opposition started playing out with the arrest of a chieftain of the APC, Hon Wale Oke. He was arrested by Special Forces from Abuja. The Special Forces had earlier visited his Ilare-Ijesha country home to arrest him but he was not found.
Local PDP leaders led the Special Forces to his Oshogbo residence where he was picked up and hounded into detention. Although, Oke has been released, his captors have not explained the reason for his arrest and detention. On the eve of Ekiti governorship election, armed policemen and soldiers rounded up Governor Fayemi’s aides, including APC chieftains, in their country homes purposely to destabilise the party’s plan to mobilise voters on the day of election and to instil fear in the minds of APC supporters and prevent them from coming out to vote.
In spite of all the similarities, however, the two states have distinct characteristics. A good example is to look at their voting pattern. In 2011general election, Osun was the only state in the South-West that voted for the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, while other states voted for Goodluck Jonathan.
Besides, Ekiti State is homogenous in nature, while Osun is a little diverse. There are so many ethnic groups in Osun like Ijesa, Oyo, Igbomina, and Ife, to mention a few. But Ekiti is homogenous, every part of the state is Ekiti. In Osun State, the different ethnic groups do not go the same direction when it comes to politics. So, it is not easy to compare Ekiti and Osun in this regard. However, the last Ekiti poll has energised people in Osun. They are more determined, vigilant and ready to take their destiny in their hands. That explains why today’s election is very crucial to them.
