All Progressives Congress (APC), National Deputy Chairman and former Ekiti State Governor Olusegun Oni is a governorship aspirant in the Fountain of Knowledge. Can he overcome the hurdles at the primary? Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu examines his chances at the shadow poll.
At 63, Olusegun Oni, engineer and Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says he has an unfinished business in Ekiti State Government House. “It is not a project of glamour. It is not about Segun Oni wanting to be governor. He has been governor before. What else does he want? But, this is a project of conscience. We must be the flagship of a new social and economic order,” he told reporters in Lagos.
Since he declared his intention, many people have taken him serious. He seems to have an edge. He can flaunt experience, knowledge and understanding of Ekiti and has government works. His supporters have described him as a candidate to beat at the primary and general election. His campaign manager, Hon. Ife Arowosoge, a former member of the House of Representatives, described him as the most competent contender, who has the right attitude for the job. Also, another former federal legislator, Oyetunde Ojo from Ekiti West Constituency, said Oni cannot lead Ekiti astray. He observed that he has indicated intention to serve again at a time people are clamouring for change and qualitative leadership. “We know Oni as a politician without guile. His candidature will be acceptable to all Ekiti,” he said.
Another supporter, Biodun Akin-Fasae, said “Oni is on a mission of redemption,” adding that his candidature will boost the APC’s opportunity to win power in a state “that is hugely populated by PDP sympathisers.” The aspirant’s former aide, Kolawole Igandan, said civil servants, local government employees and retirees are rooting for the former governor because they believe he will build on his legacy of good governance. In the opinion of Senator Bunmi Adetunmbi from Ekiti North District, if Ekiti wants change, Oni is the answer.
But, his entry into the race has also stirred controversy. Critics have advanced two arguments against his ambition. Oni has been described as a defector from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hoping to reap where he has not adequately sowed. They wonder why the national deputy chairman, a party elder and gerontocratic monitor, should be struggling for the ticket with younger contenders. Some sare asking: what did Oni forget in the Government House in 2010?
Oni seems to have satisfactory answers to these questions. Rejecting the label of a defector of convenience, he said he defected, not after President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the 2015 poll, but during the formation of the ruling party. Oni emphasized that defection cannot be a campaign issue, recalling that the APC is made up of defectors from some parties. He also faulted the quest for generational shift by some stakeholders, saying that age is not a factor in any governorship ambition. He said his ambition is within the confines of the 1999 Constitution and the APC constitution.
Oni added: “Some people say what did I forget in the Government House. I am not in the governorship race to pusue a selfish agenda. If there is anything I forgot in the Government House, it is this new social and economic order.”
The former governor said he is not gambling. He told reporters that his ambition has been welcomed by vast party members and people across the three senatorial districts. “My goal is to pursue a Marshal Plan that will bring about a new economic and social order for greater benefit of Ekiti youths,” he said, stressing that the core values of Ekiti must be brought back. “The way we were raised was probably right, but it is no longer right for us to expect that that is the way we would raise our children because they are under the scourge of population growth,” he added.
No fewer than 40 chieftains are in the race. Apart from Oni, other prominent contenders include Senator Babafemi Ojudu, former House of Representatives member Opeyemi Bamidele, Funminiyi Afuye, and Bimbo Daramola, Chief Muyiwa Olumilua, Isola Fapounda, Yemi Akerele, Yemi Adamamodu and Femi Bamishile. Sources hinted that Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, may join the race. However, some members of Fayemi camp are now members of the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation.
Oni was a foundation member of the PDP. For seven years, he was on the board of the Education Tax Fund (ETF). He joined the race for the first time in 2006/2007. At the primary, he trailed Prof. Adesegun Ojo and Akerele. But, the decision of the Primary Panel was not final. Although Oni came third, the national leadership preferred him to the winner. It was a historic period in Ekitiland. After the election Oni was declared winner by the electoral commission. For three years, the Action Congress (AC) candidate, Fayemi, was in court disputing his victory at the poll. It was a protracted litigation. The court ordered a by-election. Then, there was the Ido-Osi debacle. At the end, Oni was deposed by the Appeal Court.
Outside power, he was derided as an interloper. But, he earned the respect of people who hailed him for not ruling with an iron hand. He was simply described as a victim of circumstances. The former governor, unlike other colleagues, was not hunted by the anti-graft bodies. He walked on the street as a free man. His style of governance promoted inclusiveness. Prominent Ekiti leaders testified to the fact that, while on the driver’s seat, he loathed primitive accumulation. Reflecting on his tenure, Oni said he constructed roads, equipped hospitals, established a new university, and promoted workers’ welfare.
In 2015, the former governor defected from the PDP to the APC, following the party’s politics of exclusion. He emerged as the deputy chairman, based on the promise to give the defectors a sense of belonging. In that capacity, he has managed to avoid controversy and scandals. His assets are his gentle character, inclination to party rules and belief in politics of service, accommodation and reconciliation.
As an aspirant, Oni is in a familiar terrain. When he unfolded his ambition in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, supporters from 120 towns and villages constituting Ekiti State witnessed the declaration. He spoke on his vision for the far-flung state, saying that it can recover the lost grounds. “Ekiti has potentials. With a better leadership, it will bounce back and its lost glory will be restored,” he added. Recently, he intensified his consultations and mobilisations across the 16 local governments. His messages are lucid and reconciliatory. Although he is busy nurturing a formidable structure, Oni has also spared thought for party unity and stability. He said since the party is the vehicle to the Government House, the platform should not be damaged by the antagonistic ambitions of contenders.
Also, Oni is wooing the state, zonal and national leaders of the party. He said: “I have informed our leaders. I have written to all of them; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief John odigie-Oyegun, Chief Bisi Akande, our governors, National Assembly members, top party leaders. I am intensifying my consultations with all shades of opinion in the party and the state.”
The primary will not be a walk over for any aspirant. Many issues will shape the shadow poll. They include the people’s quest for change, past record of aspirants, their popularity in the party and state, zoning, and financial muscle. Can Oni overcome these hurdles?
Oni said that he enjoys popularity because he is a household in the hilly state. But, he is conscious of the fact that, if he emerges as the flag bearer, he would need the support of other aspirants to win the election because they are party leaders in their own rights. He said delegates will prefer him as an experienced administrator, a reputable chieftain and a leader they can relate and work with.
But, is the participation of 40 aspirants in the primary not a recipe for chaos and disaster? Oni said if the shadow election is free and fair, it will not be rancorous and there will be no post-primary crisis. He said the onus is on the party leadership to provide a level playing ground for contenders. “We must have a free and fair primary to avert crisis. That is the only way out,” Oni said. He doubted, if all the 40 will participate, saying that many may withdraw from the race when the guidelines are out.
Oni is confronted with the perception of the people that he will always dance to the tune of PDP supporters. But, he rejected the perception, saying that it lacked basis.
Will zoning be an issue? Oni acknowledged the agitation for power shift to Ekiti South. He said the people behind the agitations are entitled to their rights to agitate. But, he clarified that zoning is not in the APC constitution. He recalled that he had also supported the idea of an Ekiti South governorship candidate four years ago. ‘In 2014, prominent PDP leaders asked me to contest, but I declined. I said I will support aspirants from the district, including Dayo Adeyeye, to be governor. But, zoning can only take place when there is a governor who is wielding power and authority to influence it. We will be able to do it when we get there,” he stressed.
Oni said Ekiti South will back his aspiration because he gave the district a sense of belonging; “When I was governor, the Secretary to Local Government, the Speaker of the House of Assembly and a minister were apointed from the zone,” he added.
Arowosoge said the quest for zoning by the district will not affect Oni’s ambition. He said prominent APC leaders from the South are supporting Oni. They include Senator Tony Adeniyi and former House of Assembly Speaker Wale Omirin.
But, can the APC displace the PDP from power in Ekiti State, where Governor Ayodele Fayose is perceived as a formidable leader? Oni said the victory of the APC is possible, if the party works harder. He said Fayose has an inflated ego, adding that his popularity is a myth. He said apart from being dethroned in 2006, he was defeated at the senatorial election in Ekiti Central in 2011.
Oni added: “APC can defeat the PDP in Ekiti, if we work hard. The people of Ekiti are yearning for change. They are waiting for our party.”
