Governor Kayode Fayemi may have passed through several challenges in life, including literally snatching power with the skin of his teeth through the courts about four years ago, but the question as to whether he can break the one term jinx for Ekiti governors is now an issue.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi was one of the oracles that operated behind the scene in the now rested Radio Kudirat that taunted the Sani Abacha dictatorship during the agitation for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief M.K.O Abiola. Thus, he cuts the picture of a man of strong will and determination, who is ready to face difficult challenges. Between 2007 and 2009, he engaged former governor of the state, Engr Segun Oni, in a fierce legal battle to reclaim his mandate.
Now, the next major task before Fayemi is how to win the June 21, 2014 governorship election, a contest that will indicate whether he is a strong force or paper weight tiger in the politics of the state.
Re-election jinx
In Ekiti State, it is almost a taboo for a sitting governor to win a second term in office, no matter the level of the work done while in office. So, political observers are eagerly waiting for the election to see whether or not the governor will break the jinx of ‘no second term in office for governors of the state.’
Fayemi’s scorecard
In the last three-and-a-half years, the APC-led government has done a lot of work based on Fayemi’s 8-point agenda. The projects include road construction and rehabilitation, renovation of public secondary schools, distribution of laptops to students and teachers, procurement of brand new vehicles for traditional rulers in the state, health intervention programme including the Ilera laa’fin social security scheme for the elderly.
The government has equally embarked on some legacy projects like construction of new Government House, millennium business centre and a modern pavilion.
fayemi-bamidele
The Bamidele challenge
In spite of his achievements, Fayemi will face hurdles mounted by some politicians, who insist that they can do the job better. And of such politicians is Fayemi’s old friend and comrade, Hon. Bamidele Opeyemi otherwise known as MOB.
Currently a member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele is aspiring on the banner of the Labour Party.
It is instructive to note that both Fayemi and Bamidele were initially in the same political party, the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before the party metamorphosed into APC. So, they both share the same political background and most importantly, they both had their political tutelage from the same political godfathers, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the first civilian governor of the state and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State.
Thus, Bamidele’s decision to slug it out with Fayemi is expected to affect the outcome of the election, if the happenings at his last two public outings, which many members of the APC attended, are anything to go by.
The PDP factor
Apart, from the APC and Labour Party, the PDP should not be underestimated even though members of the party appear not to have got their acts together. It must be borne in mind that the party just left office not quite long and still has structures intact in most parts of the state.
PDP members also have the leverage of the Federal might. Therefore, whenever the issue of the gubernatorial primary is resolved by the party, members are expected to work assiduously and forge ahead with zeal.
Teachers’ palaver
Also, Fayemi may face problems from teachers over government’s policy that attempted to compel them to write what it described as qualifying tests last year otherwise called teachers development test. To the teachers, the policy was repressive amounted to an insult to their career and was a clever way of reducing their number.
… Council workers too
Likewise, local council workers, especially health workers and pensioners whose allowances are yet to be paid are not finding things rosy with this government. The same thing applies core civil servants, especially those in the junior cadre, who are complaining that most of them who are due for promotion have remained stagnant for some time since the government came on board.
Some senior officials are very bitter over the huge cut in their running grants otherwise known as RG
However, the government appears aware of the problems and making efforts to address them. Fayemi formally met both the senior and junior workers at different events where most of the problems were highlighted and did promised to solve them.
He equally held a similar meeting with the local government staff.
Another problem that may likely pose an obstacle to Fayemi’s ambition was the division among members of road transport workers in the state
It was alleged that the crack was indirectly caused by the state government with the tacit support being given to their erstwhile leader, Mr. Rotimi Olabiwonnu a.k.a Mentillo, said to be becoming too irritable to other members. The government pretended as if nothing was happening until the man was removed from office.
Though, the state government has intervened and a reconciliation process is on course it is too early to say whether the healing method being adopted by the government will yield results. Time will tell.
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