EKITI POLITICS; THESE CURRENT TRENDS

Politics in Ekiti since the electoral meltdown of 1983 has indeed carved a niche for itself in the local and international political landscape. Ekiti is a land that prides itself in its intellectual potentials and dispositions making it a force to reckon with especially in education and other spheres of human endeavour; however, the major Achilles’ heel is the seldom over appraisal of intellectual endowments which as a matter of fact influence decisions that can result in rancorous situations. One major trait of a typical Ekiti indigene is being down to earth. The latter may be affected by social class, educational status and the level of exposure.

The current trends in Ekiti is what can be described as the one in which our strength now becomes a major weakness due to the fact that we have gradually replaced our core values with sentiment and frivolity; excessive sentimental attachment to educational qualifications is in no doubt a force to contend with among Ekiti elites. The recently concluded gubernatorial election in the state is a conspicuous pointer to this; right from the preparations and campaigns, the major aspirants had engaged themselves in war of words and political propagandas simply because one of them was more popular with the masses and the others could not live with it coupled with the entire scenario that was further polarized by educational status. Irrespective of these, the most important is for us to improve on our electoral system in this country; a reliable electoral system must produce free and fair elections in which the populace decides, the environment must be conducive without fear of molestations from any quarters, for the electorates to exercise their franchise with confidence in a result oriented system.

The Place of Ekiti Elites

Ekiti elites as major stake holders in its politics play a vital role in determining who governs the state, they are also instrumental to day to day smooth running of the state, making sure that the needed checks and balances are in place. It is in this light that I will hereby implore the elites to be more committed to this vision by being proactive, out of the box and be ready to be true trail blazers. Feedbacks from the recently concluded governorship election in the state indicated that the elites seemed to have abandoned vital state projects for trivial issues. In my candid opinion, I am really proud of Ekiti people that voted massively for the present governor elect. However, a major vital observation is that the results in terms of number of votes in all do not truly represent a population with eligible voters close to two million. The question is why would the people not effectively participate in electoral process that produces results that truly represent the entire populace? The results from the recently concluded poll fell short in this wise as ordinarily anyone can muster a crowd close in number to these results for any other less significant purposes. It is also being rumoured that the governor elect is the peoples’ governor and that he is never on the same page with the elites. The fact remains that an electoral procedure that was adjudged free and fair by all and sundry produced him which apart from being an additional feather to the cap of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), also established that he’s indeed the man of the masses.

So why do the elites grumble after they failed woefully to maximise their potentials in ensuring Ekiti that really befits a “standard”? It would be my greatest excitement for instance to be motivated by the presence of my, mentor (an elite so to speak) most especially during electoral processes starting from voters registration to voting proper. What I am driving at is that Ekiti elites should have a change of orientation and participate physically in voting processes. They should stop being the couch potato and be true patriots. Having done this, it will help inspire the youth into the right path and put an end to major fraudulent electoral acts such as the distribution of monetary gifts and food items to potential voters by political office aspirants currently in practice in our nation.

                                                                                     

My People; My Pride

The aftermath of the recently concluded gubernatorial election in Ekiti state has been greeted with mixed reactions from relevant quarters. Even though the choice of Ekiti people may not be at par with that of the elites, the truth is the people have spoken with one voice. Take it or leave it, the governor elect on assumption of office by October will rule the land of honour for the next four years. I feel very bad when people on social media who are oblivious of the trends in my state make comments like fools. I stand to be corrected, the fact remains that Ekiti people are not dumb and would not be cajoled by cheap political propaganda that is clad in predefined pranks.

Even in the days of the slave masters (Ajeles), Ekiti people were known as ‘no nonsense’ and would not be subservient to anyone; and now that we live in the modern age, it is expected that we consolidate on these traits. Perhaps the political king makers in the west have forgotten that only God enthrones a king and he also decides who he gives the second chance. I think it is high-time we lived in this reality that no matter how we view the Ekiti poll, it was obvious that the people spoke with one voice and the responses of the parties involved will be to stand in deference to it as demonstrated by the incumbent governor even though I do not totally agree with the creation of additional local council in this ‘night-time’ of his administration as such should be left for the incoming administration to decide. I will therefore advise the governor elect Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose to prove his critics wrong with this golden opportunity; he should understand that we (Ekiti people) have faith in him and he must not let us down, he must be wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing everywhere and must critically consider any gestures from the opposition as they may not reciprocate such the same way if they were to switch places.

Lastly, our nation will soar higher; our nascent democracy will be well established if our leaders truly allow the voice of the people to be heard through credible electoral system.

Long live Nigeria! Long live Ekiti state!

                                                                                                      Twiter: @Ciznet