By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not sparing any efforts, both fair and foul, to win the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti state, which observers believe could signal the tone for the winner of the 2019 presidential election.
The gladiators are Kayode Fayemi of APC and the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, even though Kolapo Olusola-Eleka will be the one on the ballot for the PDP. Both men will slug it out in the 16 local governments, 177 wards and 2,451 Polling units of the state.
This election provides Fayemi the opportunity to redeem himself from the embarrassing defeat he suffered in 2014 polls when he lost all the 16 local governments of Ekiti State even as a seating governor to his opponent, Fayose.
How will this rematch go?
Fayemi is contesting this election as the top dog, having at his disposal Police, DSS and Civil Defence personnel. The Villa is also anxious to take Ekiti and disgrace Fayose for being a diehard critic of President Muhammadu Buhari.
As a warning shot, the police dispersed a rally of the PDP on July 11, causing a commotion which Fayose said resulted in him suffering a neck strain from pandemonium.
But Fayemi faces a grim challenge with the state’s civil servants. His no love lost with them when he was governor of the state, may still haunt him at the poll.
He was accused of not promoting them as at when due, imposing competency test for teachers and being highhanded. Rumours on the street of Ekiti is that if Fayemi wins, he will cut the workforce of the state to tally with the state’s income to enable him pay salaries regularly, an allegation he has denied.
Fayose, on the other hand, is owing all categories of civil servants between five and eight months areas of salaries. This is likely to spell doom for his candidate, although he has been doling out promotions to appease them.
Among transport workers, traders and artisans, the PDP may likely enjoy a roller coaster ride due to Fayose’s populist style of governance which has already got the nick name, ‘stomach infrastructure.’
Fayemi is not so popular, especially among the Okada riders because they fear that he might slap a ban on that mode of transportation if he becomes governor.
Fayose’s masterstroke in the election is his choice of successor, Olusola-Eleka from Ikere, the local government with the second largest voting population in the state, with his running mate, 39-year-old Deji Ogunsakin, from Ado Ekiti, the area that holds the largest voting people. In addition, Ogunsakin is a Muslim, in a state whose population is more than 70 percent Christian. This move, analysts believe, was intended to sway the Muslim votes for the PDP since no Muslim has ever got to that position in the state.
Fayemi, on the other hand, is from Oye, which is the least populated local government in Ekiti State. He chose as deputy, 74-year-old Chief Adebisi Egbeyemi, a seasoned politician also from Ado Ekiti, making the local government a free-for-all.
Whichever way the votes go, it will be too close to call. Perhaps, Olusola-Eleka remains the favourite in the contest. If he wins, the PDP will be upbeat that the South West could go its way in the presidential election, signaling that Buhari is beatable. If the APC wins, Buhari’s team will be energized while the PDP demoralized.