Ekiti Election: Who Wins Eleka or Fayemi?

By Stephen Ubanna

After weeks of Electioneering Campaigns and political maneuvering  the people of Ekiti state went to the polls on Saturday, July 14, 2018, to elect the next governor  of the state. The Peoples Democratic party, PDP, All Progressive Congress, APC, Social Democratic Congress, SDP were said to have  fielded Candidates in the election who were  optimistic  of winning.

But the two major contenders  spending money and time for the election were said to be Kolapo Olusola Eleka , a Professor and Deputy governor of the state and kayode Fayemi,a former minister of Mines and  Steel Development of the opposition PDPD and the ruling APC respectively.

The PDP governorship Candidate is counting on the popularity of Ayodele Fayose, the state governor  with the down troden and his Stomach Infrastructural policy in the state to win the election while President Muhammadu Buhari is counting on  the   projects  cited in the state through the influence  Fayemi, the APC, governorship to trounce his major opponent for the  plum office from the PDP and Gabriel Olonisakin, a General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDS.

Buhari had listed the projects to include  the construction  of infrastructural facilities, drainadges, and Asphalt  finishing  plant at  Ikere Ekiti and  National Housing Progrmme Sites ithe state, completion of emergency repairs  of failed sections  of Ifaki-Ikole-Omuo  andIfaki- Ido -Ifaki- Otun roads .

Other Federal  projects listed  by Buhari that was executed  in the state  include  the rehabilitation  of Ado-Ifaki- otun road, Repairs of Ijebu- Ijesha road, rehabilitation of  of Ila- Orangun-OkeIla-Ilale -Ekan road, rehabilitation  of Asphalt Overlay/construction of reinforced  concrete drains and kerbs of 1.33km internal roads  at Federal University of Oye. He was also said to have  listed as one of the projects  the Ode-Ekiti road project and  the construction of a new Federal Secretariat  at Ado-Ekiti, the  state capital. He gave the total cost of the projects both completed and on-going  at N766.74 million, which many believe  was very insignificant  compared to the billions spent on similar  projects in other states in the north.  He had  revealed that the projects were handled by 13 different contractors  in state.

Political analysts contended  that  he should not have  listed the Federal projects executed  in the state  by his  Administration with the inputs  of political appointees from the state  but  simply canvass for votes for Fayemi, the APC governorship Candidate  as it may not much difference in the voting pattern. This is because of the believe of the people that  Fayemi and Olonisakin did not do anything meaninful in the state , notwithstanding their closeness to Buhari. in the Buhari

But Foyose, is counting  on his government infrastructural development policy  which was said to have  touched the lives of many  in the state including  those in the APC  strongholds  including the government  Stomach infrastructure policy to facilitate PDP Candidate victory in the governorship election. Buhari  may have known that the  people of the state believe so much  in the Fyose’s  stomach infrastructure policy  that he had advised that they should not” allow themselves to be insulted by the policy”.

As a prelude to the  governorship  election , the Magazine learnt that indigenes of the state  kept forced vigil in their homes ostensibly to play host to the governorship foot soldiers  moving  from local government to local government , village to village and house to house to have a one-to -one talks .

Bello Yinka, an indigene of Oke-Ila  disclosed that the people saw it as an opportunity to share from the national cake. According to him, the  people appear to be wiser, as they collected money from all the political Camps  with assurance to vote  their  governorship Candidates.

According him,  the election is a straight fight between Eleka of the PDP and Fayemi of the APC. The people of Isan, Fayemi ‘s  home town  came out in their thousands to vote for him.  But Nigerians should expect a major shock . Snippets from  Ado -Ekiti, reveal  that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  installed card reader  for the Ekiti  election could not read Eleka, the PDP governorship Candidate’s PVC, in the Saturday  election, meaning that he  was disfranchised. The Magazine  learnt there were other PDP Stalwarts and supporters  whose PVC could not be recognised by the card reader, an indication that  Fayemi, a  former governor of the state  may have the upper hand in the election or it may go the way of the PDP  Candidate if the people vote according their conscience.