It seems comedy goes with politics in Nigeria or how else can one explain the comical utterances credited to Chief John Odigie Oyegun, embattled national Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, (APC), whose desperation to retain his seat has pushed him into a frantic over-drive. During his recent visit not too long ago to Ekiti, where amongst other things, he promised to deliver the state into the change mantra. Nothing confirms his lack of depth and understanding of the political dynamic in the state like such reckless statements, perhaps made to appease and soothing frayed nerves in his badly polarised and fractionalized party.
Only recently, he was awarded with an extension of tenure of office and following the uproar and accusations and counter-accusations, he in a bid to deflect the weight of growing dissention in the South-West flank of the party, is ready to do even the unthinkable to win the sympathy and understanding of the aggrieved members. The expectation to divert attention from such illegality ought not to have made him make wild claims, especially as regards Ekiti. The weight of his utterances when juxtaposed with facts falls flat in the face of reality checks.
Perhaps Chief Oyegun has forgotten so soon or he is been clever by half of the fate that befell his party in 2014, where their candidate was roundly defeated across the entire local government areas. So shocked at that particular point in time that the then governor, John Kayode Fayemi declared, “If it is the will of the people, so be it”. Oyegun should do himself all the good in the world by understanding that in Ekiti the supremacy of the people and particularly of their attachment to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), is evident for all to see. Having been thrashed by the people, the APC have suddenly woken from their deep slumber following their unprecedented defeat to what they are good at-propagating lies and tales of the absurdities which can do them no good.
Since their defeat in 2014, they have remained aloof, making assumption their tradition and now in the build-up to the July 2018 elections, they have taken to the social media to make outlandish claims. This false sense of pride is their undoing and I cannot wait till July to laugh them to scorn. A party that is paper weight and full of members pursuing different agenda in their wildest imagination think that they pose a serious challenge makes me laugh at them. Chief Oyegun and his band of followers should be prepared for the final tsunami that would bury them in shame, when the people of Ekiti elect their preferred candidate, Professor Olusola Eleka come July 2018.
It might interest Chief Oyegun to know why the PDP remains the preferred political party in Ekiti since 1999, when the state produced the lone Senator in the entire south west when the defunct Alliance for Democracy was the dominant party in the region. There is a saying that what you do not know is greater than you. How true. The APC bereft of simple logical appraisal of why the PDP and especially governor Fayose continue enjoy the fondness and admiration of the people since 2003. When lacking in all of these and not wanting to accept reality, they wallow in delusion. The APC remains in the dark, groping about as to why they are not the preferred party of choice in Ekiti.
It is increasingly worrisome that a party as fractionalized and threatening to collapse because of vaulting ambition of strange bedfellows mostly of inconsequential weight would remain driven by assumptions. Well, it is their stock in trade to live in denial until it is too late. It keeps happening since 2003, and yet this time around it would spell the end as they shall fade into absolute oblivion. I have ceased bordering myself about this tribe of people whose only hope is for a rigged process. They APC members keep mouthing their readiness to use federal might to upturn the scale of balance in their favour. How shallow can these people be?
Chief Oyegun caught the picture of a drowning man during his visit. His visit was so inconsequential that bickering within the party was evident. It is yet to dawn on him that no matter what is done by the APC in Ekiti, it will become an exercise in futility. Here is a party full of contradictions and squabbles thinking they pose a threat to the PDP. The party is stroked in Ekiti, yet they deceive themselves by resorting to making wild claims and making noise-as though that is what will bring them to power. Contending interests and candidates without electoral value whom populate their ranks makes them think important. They assumes that Ekiti will be “grabbed”-let them wait and see.
It is the nature of the APC to throw tantrums, bandy lies and wild claims to appear important. Most recently, all of their candidates are falling over each other to put down the people’s governor-Ayodele Fayose, whose sterling leadership of both the state and the PDP remains a nightmare to them in the APC. It is in their nature, a nature that has keeps dragging them to the nadir of the political rung in the state to live in denial. I pity Chief Oyegun who evidently has been misinformed but he can educate himself about the political dynamic in Ekiti. Talk is cheap and anybody can wail forever but the people’s choice will prevail. That is the beauty of democracy. Their pain at seeing Fayose as governor is giving them insomnia even as he is on the verge of leaving office.
They are fixated on him to their detriment. They have not told the people what they want to do if even by accident get power. Their battle cry is Fayose this, Fayose that-nothing else. No agenda, no programme to even sustain the transformation on ground. Well, their waterloo is around the corner. These obnoxious charlatans would be retried permanently for the development which Fayose has fostered to continue. Contrary to their propaganda on social media platforms, they are so inconsequential in the eyes of the electorates that they do not attract even a filial of attention. Their doom looms and rather embark on massive campaigns, their multiplicity of candidates are enamoured with running down Fayose whose stock is high with the people of the state.
Fayose has articulated the reason(s) for continuity. The choice of Professor Olusola Eleka tallies with the aspiration of the greater majority of the people of the state. It is to sustain the massive transformation undertaken by the PDP led administration in the state. Eleka is urbane, humble and visionary to sustain the tempo. He has made some promises. Why the opposition remains frightened, he has continued to meet with diverse groups with his agenda. He has promised a compact but highly professional government based on present economic realities. He equally gave his word for enhanced packages for workers as well as reforming the state civil service by exposing the workers to the diverse trainings that would enhance their productivity.
More importantly, Eleka, has promised welfarist programmes like the doyen of Nigerian politics Awolowo did during his stint in the defunct Western region. As a scholar, he has conducted due diligence and research on the immediate and future needs of the state and is ready to tackle those challenges head-on. He has demonstrated capacity in the recent past as deputy governor. Still roaring with ideas, it is only fair to support him in his quest to take Ekiti to the next level. This is why Chief Oyegun and his cohorts should know that the good people of Ekiti have pitched their tents with the amiable and effective deputy governor.
The APC members, especially its leadership are drunk to stupor on fallacies. One of which is that they are on ground in Ekiti. What a pity. Their unthinking cadre have since bought into this lie. Hooked and having swallowed hook, line and sinker the notion that they would snatch the state from the PDP through a rigged process, they simply boast of the D-day with relish. Their enthusiasm is hanged on false hope that President Muhammadu Buhari would deploy security forces to manipulate the process to their favour. Why they remain poor students of history is unpardonable. I can pardon Oyegun for having no regard for facts, or how else did he arrive at the jaundiced view that a paper weight party such as the APC would win in Ekiti.
Finally, Chief Oyegun should quickly commence a reality check and not rely on the distortions and outright lies which he was served either before or during his recent visit to Ekiti. In Ekiti, we have elected to stand by Eleka. He is our preferred candidate and to him shall we entrust the task of leading us into the promise land. He is a committed development oriented scholar.
Olajide Taylor
(Ado-Ekiti).