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The Ekiti Governorship election has just been successfully concluded by INEC under a new leadership. The sitting Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji of the APC demolished his opponents mercilessly. He got 319, 224 votes while the closest contender Dr Wole Oluyede of the PDP got a miserable collection of 40, 543 votes. The flagbearer of the ADC Mr Oluwadare Bejide got an even more miserable endorsement with a paltry 12, 872 votes. And the surprising thing is that the Governor beat both candidates in their Local Government Areas of Ikere and Ekiti South respectively. There is no need to waste space to discuss the abysmal performance of the other candidates, that we can call “the also ran.” The fact that the other candidates performed extremely poorly is evidence that we do not need more than three or four political parties in the country. So as I said in an article a few weeks ago having twenty something political parties is nonsense. It doesn’t help INEC to conduct free and fair elections. It doesn’t help the voters to make the right choices. And it doesn’t help our democracy to grow. Instead, it hinders its growth.
In Ekiti State, there were, according to INEC, 1, 059,360 registered voters; 1, 028,929 collected their Permanent Voter Cards. From the election results it is obvious that less than 50% of those who collected their voters’ cards actually voted. That figure shows that there was apathy, an experience that we have had in previous elections. Why were the voters unwilling to go out to vote wearing the flowery adire and Ankara that the campaigners gave them? Were they afraid of being kidnapped either at the voting stations or on their way home? I don’t know. Or is it that they did not have money for transport to and from the voting centres? I don’t know. Or were they afraid that going out to vote was useless because they were sure that their votes would not count? I don’t know. Or were they of the cynical view that going out to vote would make no difference to the quality of governance in the state? I don’t know. But what I know is that many Nigerians, highly and lowly placed, seem to think that our leaders hardly take the views of Nigerians into their decision-making process; that they only do what they want to do and therefore voting changes nothing. This view is evidence of the trust deficit that exists between the rulers and the ruled. To change this, our leaders must keep their election promises, must show transparency in governance and must use their positions to drastically improve the living conditions of our people. These are the ways of getting into the hearts of the ruled, not through the donation of ankara or sewing machines.
The poll was described by all concerned including both security agencies and observers. That is a good breather because we have had too much agony dealing with violence in various parts of the country. It also means that the security agencies did their jobs well. Also, it is a credit to the voters and the agents of the various parties that they exercised patience while waiting to exercise their franchise as some of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BIVAS) experienced malfunctioning at some voting units.
However, the ADC flagbearer, Bejide and the Accord Party candidate Mr Opeyemi Falegan have accused the APC of vote buying. Such allegations must be investigated by the appropriate authorities and those who sold or bought the votes should be brought to justice. That is the only way to stop the practice which has become a recurring decimal in our elections. Whether votes were bought or sold it is obvious that the State Governor Oyebanji must, judging by the fact that he won in all the 16 local government areas, have done well to deserve a nod by the voters for a second term. I do not know whether, during the campaign, the opponents of the Governor raised such issues as hunger, poverty and unemployment, issues that are regularly raised by some opponents. Yes Nigeria is a country that is victimized by poverty and other ills but none of these problems can be solved in one day by anybody. They are problems that take time to get resolved. I suspect that Oyebanji won because of his achievements. Every leader contesting an election to get a second term is, and ought to be, judged largely by his performance record in the first term. Every leader contesting for a position for the first term is judged either by his performance in a previous office or by the promises he makes for the new office he is aspiring to. That is the equivalent of hacking the jungle with bare hands. That is why, in most cases, the battle is often won by incumbents. Incumbents have achievements to showcase in that office. Contenders do not because they are not in that office. Incumbents have faithful followers in their cabinets, in the local governments and in the enclave of traditional rulers. Contenders do not have such followers. So many contenders therefore often resort to sterile criticisms of the incumbents. After that they engage in a pageant of promises, promises that are rarely backed by definitive execution methods that can convince voters to believe them. This approach often does not receive a roar of approval from the voters who want something concrete to base their decisions on. This is because, as the saying goes, “flowers often leave fragrance on the hand that bestows them.” When an incumbent sites a project in a community he is giving them beautiful flowers. The fragrance belongs to the giver and during the period for election the fragrance shows up in his favour. That is why many incumbents are not allowed by their constituents to experience the rancidness of failure during elections. Incumbents who fail elections are often those who had an underwhelming performance in their first term.
The huge sum of money that has been rolling into the pockets of state governments in the last three years is a blessing for the Governors and their people. Governors who spend the money wisely to improve the living conditions of their people stand a good chance of receiving reciprocity by way of re-election for a second term or a good mention in the history books if they have finished two terms.
Oyebanji won, I believe, because of his good performance in office. He has established 17 Emergency Operating Centres in 16 LGAs to improve health emergencies. He also rehabilitated 177 primary healthcare centres; provided continuous financial support to pensioners, teachers and some vulnerable groups; he has given financial support to young farmers, entrepreneurs with grants and mechanized tools; he has also built various roads across the various LGAs to bring the villagers closer to the cities, thus halting the rural-urban drift that is prevalent in many states. So winning an election at the governorship level is not a slam-dunk affair. It is also not a stroll in the park. Anyone who wants to drink the water in the well at the Government House of his state should first dig the well before he is thirsty, before the sting and clash of battle.
The race for the government houses and the presidency of Nigeria will definitely get fiercer in the 2027 election cycle because of the humongous funds that Nigeria is privileged to receive from President Bola Tinubu’s reforms as well as wars in various parts of the world which have brought to us tons of unexpected funds. If you must know, Nigeria’s governance is a money affair. And the powers wielded by Nigeria’s rulers at various levels are gargantuan. That is why our political battles are fierce, very fierce, at all levels. The 2027 battles will be no stroll in the park, the signs are already there. Check the primaries of the various parties.
