Ekiti 2022: Will Fayose Install a Successor This Time?

Former Governor Ayo Fayose threw everything behind his then deputy, Kolapo Olusola Eleka, in 2018 to succeed him but he failed. This time around, even before the primaries, he’s already rooting for Bisi Kolawole, who just resigned as the state’s chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party to pursue his ambition. But will Fayose succeed this time? Asks Samuel Ajayi

With less than one year to the governorship election in Ekiti State, the stakes are getting higher by the day especially, in the camp of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which despite the war of attrition tearing it apart, seems determined to upstage the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which is having its own issues.

Determined to exert control over the party in the state, former Governor Ayo Fayose has always told whoever cares to listen that he is the de facto leader of the party in the state,having served two terms as an elected governor.

But the senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Abiodun Olujimi, has refused to accept Fayose as the leader of the party in the state. Her argument has always been that presently, she is the highest ranked elected political office holder on the platform of the party in the state. And as a result of this, the two camps had to settle for parallel congresses the last time.

As the race for the 2022 governorship election in the state gathers steam, the former governor has thrown his weight behind Kolawole. Not only has Fayose endorsed him, he has personally led his campaign. Fayose has been present at every meeting the aspirant has held with ward and local government stakeholders of the party in order to sell his candidacy ahead of the party’s primary election scheduled to hold either later this year or early next year.

Fayose’s full involvement in Kolawole’s campaign has raised quite a few eyebrows, especially, from those who believed that Fayose’s heavy and overbearing involvement in the campaign of Eleka, in 2018 contributed in some little way to the defeat of the former. Eleka was practically relegated into the background during the campaign and many thought that, going by Fayose’s antecedents, he would be the de facto governor if Eleka was elected.

There were those who felt Eleka was new in politics, though then serving deputy governor, courtesy Fayose. To this group, they have been around for over 20 years and had served the party very well but Fayose decided to bypass them and pick Eleka. Same, however, cannot be said of Kolawole, who has served both at the local and state levels. But even at that, many still feel Fayose openly campaigning for Kolawole ahead of primaries has shown that he is not a father for all as he usually wants to claim.

But one of his staunch supporters, who did not want her name in print said this was not the case. According to her, Fayose had tried to reach out to every stakeholder in the party but he has always been rebuffed. She said Fayose did not want a rancourous primary election hence his desire for a consensus candidate with other factions producing deputy governorship and senatorial candidates.

“He has reached out to all of them, including Olujimi and even Governor Seyi Makinde, who is the one bankrolling both Segun Oni and Eleka. There were meetings but after these meetings, everyone always held to his guns. The thinking from ‘oga’ (Fayose) was that there was no need wasting money on nominations forms and having so many candidates, which will lead to fractions and bad blood post primary election,” the Fayose supporter said.

When reminded that Fayose already having a preferred candidate even before going into consensus arrangement has rendered any horse-trading dead on arrival, she averred that every leader always has a candidate.

Another of his supporter, Kemi Olumide, also claimed that there was nothing wrong in a leader having a preferred candidate.

“Fayose cannot be an exception,” she explained. “Every leader always has his or her own preferred candidate. That is the nature of politics everywhere. There is no crime in that.”

The Olujimi camp, expectedly backing the aspiration of another former governor, Oni, is pushing to take over the party and be the one recognised by the National Executive of the party. In the state, there are different factions of the party. There is the Osoko Political Assembly, OPA, headed by Fasoye. There is the Repositioning Group led by Olujimi andheaded by one Odebunmi.

The party in the state, was until last week, headed by same Kolawole, who has resigned to pursue his ambition. There is also PDP family, which is Oni’s group. Oni obtained his nomination form last week Wednesday. Eleka too has his own group, the PDP Peace Family. As at the time of writing this, a total of four aspirants have picked the PDP nomination form.

About five weeks ago, the Repositioning Group did their own mini-primary election to elect one candidate that would re-present the group at the main primary election. Those who contested were former deputy governor, Dr. Sikiru Lawal; a former governorship aspirant, Yinka Akerele, and one Ajijola, who eventually won the mini-primary. Ironically, Olujimi was not present at the mini-primary as she was said to be slightly disposed to the candidacy going to the Ekiti South Senatorial District.

The problem here is that the front-runner from Ekiti South Senatorial District, Eleka, does not even belong to the Olujimi camp while the winner of the mini-primary in Olujimi’s camp is from Ado Ekiti, which is in Central Senatorial District.

The incumbent, Kayode Fayemi, is from the North, so is Oni. Kolawole is from Efon-Alaaye-Ekiti, which is in the Central Senatorial District.

From all indications, the PDP in Ekiti State is a divided house. No doubt about that. The Principles of rotation that have served the state very well in the past have been jettisoned by same politicians, who came with the idea in the first place. Virtually every neutral stakeholder believes that the governorship of the state should go to the Southern Senatorial District. It is just fair that it happens.

But Fayose’s near fanatical support for Kolawole has rubbished that. Kolawole is from the Central. Segun Oni is from the North; same as the incumbent, Fayemi. Ajijola, who won the mini primary of the Repositioning Group, is also from the Central Senatorial District.

Kolawole picked the N21m nomination form last week and now, Fayose has been seen donning his campaign shirt. But will he deliver the party’s ticket to him come December and the ultimate prize come June next year?

QUOTE

The party in the state, was until last week, headed by same Kolawole, who has resigned to pursue his ambition. There is also PDP family, which is Oni’s group. Oni obtained his nomination form last week Wednesday. Eleka too has his own group, the PDP Peace Family. As at the time of writing this, a total of four aspirants have picked the PDP nomination form