Fayemi Intensifies Lobby To Drag Ally, Niyi Adebayo Into 2022 Guber Race

By Ayodele Oni

Intense lobby and pressure are piling up on the Minister of Trade and investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, to contest for the Governorship of Ekiti state during next year’s election.

Otunba Adebayo was the first civilian Governor of Ekiti state, when he won election on the platform of the defunct Alliance for Democracy, (AD).

He, however, lost his second term bid when he was defeated by Mr Ayodele Fayose who was candidate of the People’s Democratic Party,(PDP), and enjoyed the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s  Federal Government.

The Governorship election in Ekiti is due to hold in June 2022, and the winner sworn in by October.

At the emergence of the present administration, there were posters and billboards of Otunba Adebayo as a successor to Governor Fayemi, but he came out to dissociate himself from the programme of the authors.

Incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi said a few days ago at a function in Abuja that he is interested in who will succeed him as continuity brings development.

Since the creation of the State, no Governor has had the opportunity to win election for the second term and spend eight years without a break.

With the defeat of Adebayo by Fayose in 2003, Fayose too was ingloriously removed due to a faceoff with his erstwhile godfather, Obasanjo.

Chief Segun Oni later was elected to succeed the administration of a Federal Government appointed Administrator, the late Brig Gen Adetunji Olurin.

Segun Oni’s Government was truncated by a Court of Appeal judgement in Ilorin which declared Dr Kayode Fayemi winner of the earlier poll which brought Oni.

On completion of his first term tenure, Fayose again reappeared on the political scene and contested against Fayemi, won and completed his second term in 2018.

Fayose’s attempt to make his deputy, Prof Olusola Eleka, to succeed him was aborted when Dr Fayemi, serving as a Minister then, showed interest, won APC primary and the general election, thus returning to complete his second term by October 2022.

With few months to the election, there are not less than 10 aspirants that have shown interest to contest on the ticket of the PDP, while the few ones that came out in APC have gone into oblivion.

With the completion of the State Congress of the APC last Saturday, and the Chairman coming from the Southern Senatorial District, the coast seems a little bit clearer as to where Fayemi’s successor will come from.

It is now a battle between the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts that have been producing the Governor since the creation of the state.

The South, which has not produced a Governor, seems to have lost out again despite the clamour and agitations by the people.

The under current pressure on Otunba Adebayo is reportedly being spearheaded by Governor Fayemi who is said to be so desperate to have a trusted and reliable ally as his successor.

Dr Fayemi, according to reports, is said to be working on close relations of the former Governor to convince him to change his mind and join the Governorship race.

One very clear issue is the fact that Dr Fayemi is the sole determinant of his successor, but whether his annoited will win the General Election is another issue.

Investigations further revealed that a third force, which will be an offshoot of the aggrieved members within APC may likely emerge, bring up a candidate from the South Senatorial District and contest the election on the platform of another political party.