Ekiti election and Fayose’s victory

I congratulate the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ayo Fayose, on his landslide victory in the Ekiti State governorship election held on Saturday, June 21, 2014. I wish him the very best in office as he takes over the mantle of leadership in the state come October 16, 2014. I equally congratulate the entire people of Ekiti State because I believe it is simply victory for democracy. I commend them (the electorate) for coming out en masse to vote for a man of their choice. Also, I must not fail to applaud the Independent National Electoral Commission for its neutrality and dispassionate posture in the conduct of the election, coupled with the adequate preparations it made for the exercise, which led to the prompt release of results.

Commendably, Fayemi has since conceded defeat and congratulated Fayose and pledged his support towards ensuring a smooth transition in order to move the state forward. Let us work with the belief that power belongs to God and He gives it to whoever pleases Him. All available information indicates that the election was peaceful, transparent, free and fair, and as such, I do not think anybody or party has any good reason to complain. Even if there are complaints, there is the need to follow all the necessary lawful steps rather than resorting to violence or creating a chaotic situation in the state.

Honestly, I must say that I am not a fan or supporter of Fayose. I really don’t like his style, even though he is believed to have recorded tremendous achievements in his first time as governor. On the other hand, I see the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi of the APC as a gentleman politician who applies every sense of decorum in his utterances and comports himself decently with great dignity. The man Fayemi cannot be said to be a bad governor because he did his best in the development of Ekiti State in the last four years. However, his undoing from what I gathered may not be unconnected to his not-too smooth relationship with workers and civil servants generally in the state. And this should be a big lesson for our leaders. No matter the kind of people-oriented programmes and policies you may think you are putting in place, if you toy with the welfare of the workers, particularly in the area of payment of salaries and other allowances due to them, you can rest assured that you are apparently digging your grave.

A similar scenario had played out in my state, Kogi State, in 2003 when Prince Abubakar Audu, the then governor on the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party was defeated by Alhaji Ibrahim Idris of the Peoples Democratic Party who spent almost nine years in office with nothing much to show for it. Audu did not lose that election because he didn’t perform. As a matter of fact, his four years in office between 1999 and 2003 saw more development in terms of physical structures than Idris’ nine years. What happened to Fayemi today was exactly what happened to Audu. Despite the incumbency factor at his disposal and the meaningful infrastructural development he recorded, Audu was removed from office by protest votes from workers in the state who saw hell in his hands as governor. The civil servants in the state clearly paid him back with the disdain, scorn and punishment he meted out to them by always refusing to pay them their salaries as and when due.

So, it is important that our leaders and politicians learn from this and always hold civil servants, and the electorate in general in high esteem and treat them well, no matter what they are doing in other areas to advance the cause of the people. Don’t forget that they (workers/civil servants) form the fulcrum of the masses.

Ekiti people have, indeed, spoken!