Ekiti should vote for a proven performer in all ramifications
As readers of this page must know by now, EKITIPANUPO WEB PORTAL is an indigenous Think-Tank and Intellectual Round-Table, advocating selfless governance of Ekiti people, by sincere Ekiti indigenes. Nothing, even of the minutest interest to Ekiti, is, therefore, allowed to pass, clinically un-interrogated, on the forum. So has it been with the governorship election scheduled for June 21, 2014. For instance, on Tuesday 29, April 2014, Bunmi Fatoye-Matory, a U.S-based, University of Ife and Harvard-trained, proud daughter of Igede-Ekiti, in endorsing Governor Kayode Fayemi, wrote as follows:
‘I, a daughter of Igede, a strong believer in ancestral ways and wisdom, a strong advocate of education, culture, integrity, good governance, an international traveller whose not-so-young-eyes have seen many examples of good, bad, wicked, and rejuvenating governance in my travels, heartily and warmly endorse the re-election of our Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Eni to ba maa pegan Ajanaku la ni mo ri nkan firi (It’s the person who wants to slight the elephant that would pretend what just passed was something so small he missed it.)
‘JKF has turned our Ekiti into a place of pride and development. We have seen with our own eyes what this thoughtful and forward-thinking Ekiti son has done for our people and our land.
‘I am very, very proud of him. His agenda includes every segment of our population. He is not one of those politicians who want to turn our youth into thugs shouting “Baba o” and grovelling for the crumbs from the Oga’s table. He is not a Stomach Infrastructure politician like some of those clamouring to replace him now – selfish, backward, primitive and murderous people with questionable educational and cultural background, who will sell us and future generations down the river. For pursuing people-oriented policies in the tradition of our Sage and Orisa, Awolowo, for being courageous and steadfast in his promises to rejuvenate our Ekiti, for giving us a mirror with which we can look at ourselves and feel proud again, and to continue in this path of growth and development, I heartily endorse JKF for re-election.’
Earlier, on 19 April, Professor Ade Ojo (OON), Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, a proud Ifaki-Ekiti son and President of the Ifaki Progressive Union, in an absolutely seminal post that would have to be précis-ed, wrote as follows:
‘In the epic electoral battle to win the right to occupy Oke Bareke, the choice before the Ekiti electorate is to choose one of the three major contestants who are now busy selling their candidature to the electorate. Each has been exploring every available avenue: campaign grounds, billboards, the media etc to sell his candidature; the over-riding objective being to market his talents, experience, credibility, trustworthiness, potential and virtues as the best of them all and, therefore, the most capable to deliver the best dividends of democracy in the vital areas of health, security and education, infrastructural, economic and industrial development as well as in providing jobs for its teeming unemployed youths.
Each has leveraged on the inevitable horse-trading strategies as well as the political manoeuvring associated with political campaigns, especially in the third world. These include the ruthless exploitation of the material and financial advantages and other resources that could win over the undecided, the economically disadvantaged, as well as the gullible members of the electorate who can be bought over by the highest bidder. Parts of the tricks are eye-popping propaganda, some of which are nothing but outright lies. All these manoeuvres are keyed into the Machiavellian principle of the end justifying the means.
These manoeuvres are no doubt useful in attracting to the side of each gubernatorial candidate innumerable gullible and easily compromising members of the electorate in our peculiar socio-political situation in which the political manifesto of one party can be easily replaced with that of the other by merely changing the name of the original owner. Ours is also one in which politicians easily change parties with the receiving political party welcoming the decampee like the proverbial prodigal son. This is why, for example, the two main political parties in Nigeria have been defined as the same beer, bottled under different labels.
Given the above, I plead with my Ekiti compatriots to shine their eyes, watch their backs, look beyond the appearances and facades, be wary of the wiles and tricks of each gubernatorial candidate and be extremely careful not to mortgage their conscience or the future of the state, its development and the integrity of Ekiti people by falling victim to the greedy and mesmerising seduction of the pot of porridge through which, if care is not taken, birthrights can be traded away and the state bonded to a political monster who would saddle it with an embarrassing political leadership.
We must endeavour not to fall into the mistake of being seduced by the bait thrown to the electorate by these political parties led mostly by leaders with the common leadership deficits that plague African political leaders: godfatherism, greed, as well as the domineering and tyrannical monopoly of party machinery. In the context of the above scenario, therefore, the most viable option to ensure the future of Ekiti is to vote for a candidate who aggregates the best qualities that would not present our state as one that is bereft of values, honour and integrity. Necessity is therefore laid on every Ekiti to stake his/her vote on the candidate who is best endowed, most credible and more convincingly tested to position Ekiti beyond what and where it is presently: infrastructurally, developmentally and in terms of global best practices in good governance and the delivery of the dividends of democracy to its entire citizenry.
For the present and future generations of Ekiti, the choice before us is to opt for the candidate who is most adequate intellectually, in his utterances, and his ability and capability to present well articulated, knowledge-infused and implementable programmes especially in a knowledge-based economy, the architecture of which the state is already constructing. One of these candidates, obviously, positively towers above the other two on most of the issues and criteria examined above. Given that Ekiti should no more be thrown to the dogs or be returned to the locust years of moral attrition, nor administered by a governor whose record and credibility is suspect and with criminal accusations hanging on his neck.
Therefore, in summation, my candidate who I plead should be endorsed by all Ekiti, is he who, in public service has proved to be worthy, more convincingly and creditably tested, intellectually prepared, more versed and better exposed in best global practices in good governance, and, most importantly, more representative of the Ekiti virtues of honour, decency and unwavering respect for elders and the traditional order.
He is Dr John Kayode Fayemi, the incumbent governor of Ekiti State.
He is strongly recommended as better than any of the other two, and without a doubt, he is the candidate who can make Ekiti a better place for all and who will make Ekitis proud as their governor. He is not only better than the other two, on all fronts, he would, barring unforeseen eventualities, build on the achievements and records of his present tenure without the need to experiment with plans and programmes. He will improve on areas in which he may have under- achieved and will, without a doubt, invest more effort in making an Ekiti in which all shall have a sense of belonging.
Ekiti should vote for a proven performer in all ramifications
