EKITI ELECTION: The history made, and jinx broken

L-R: Kayode Fayemi, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor-Elect Biodun Oyebanji, APC Chairman Abdullahi Adamu during the campaign

Democracy is not just an election, it is our daily life. - Tsai Ing-Wen

Imelda Marcos once said about elections, "win or lose, we go shopping after the election." As funny as this might seem, it stands for the truest fact that after every election normal life continues from where we hang them before going into the campaign process. The bustle of the campaign period; the colorful attires, the meeting of old pals, the connection of new ones, the hope of getting recognized, and getting a position in the government all make for participating in the election, more broadly -democracy. Life is about money, nothing short of that, except for personal wishes, as no one lives without food, money provides meals.

Politics is a game of numbers, victories are by the figures, not sentiment. The one who gets most of the votes in an election is the sure and legal winner. The paradox of Nigeria elections is that election in most countries is unpredictable, but in our country, it is very much predictable as the power of incumbency and anointed candidate win most elections. Only in rare cases do most incumbent fails to return to power for a second term immediately after the first term.

These rare cases had been the political reality in some states, but Ekiti seems to have consolidated political parties rotation and incumbent failure to go for a second term or to enthrone a successor.

Going by the history, Adeniyi Adebayo of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) was defeated by Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2003, unfortunately, Mr. Fayose's rule was cut short in 2006 when the state lawmakers impeached him citing corruption as the reason for such action, but the public knows it was the iron hand of the Otta born retired general Chief Olusegun Obasanjo led Federal Government who initiated the process.

Kayode Fayemi

Going forward, the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Segun Oni of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the 2007 election, his tenure in office was short-lived as the court pronounced the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Kayode Fayemi as the winner of the same election. Mr. Fayemi was sworn into office in 2010, and his effort to return for a second term in 2014 was aborted by former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Ekiti state power rotation and election matter are not synonymous with other state going by her history which seems to make the power of incumbency futile in deciding who govern at a given time.

In the previous 2018 gubernatorial election, one which returned Kayode Fayemi for a second term, Mr. Fayose attempted but failed to enthrone his deputy, Olusola Kolapo as his successor.

Governor-Elect Biodun Oyebanji

The reality of the 2022 gubernatorial election seems to have broken the jinx, as INEC declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress Biodun Oyebanji as the winner of the Ekiti Governorship election having polled the highest number of votes.

The APC scored 187,057 votes to defeat its closest rival, the SDP, which garnered 82,211 votes, the PDP, which got 67,457 votes, and 13 other parties that participated in Saturday’s governorship election.

Leadership can not be measured in a poll or even in the result of an election. It can only be truly seen with the benefit of time. From the perspective of 20 years, not 20 days. -Marco Rubio

Concluding, history is being made, and the jinx was broken through Kayode Fayemi. It is our hope that the history made, and jinx broken will not produce the same experience meted on the good people of Ondo State - a brother state when their son Dr. Olusegun Mimiko governed the state, a period in which state workers are being owed salaries, state infrastructure maintenance relaxed, among others. Mimiko went on to acknowledge owing salaries greatest regret of his government.

Will Biodun Oyebanji be the man to redefine the terms of Governance in Ekiti State or it will continue to be business as usual? This will be known in the coming days. Cheers!