Senatorial primary: Ekiti North seeks a breath of fresh air
The stage is now set for an epic battle for the Ekiti North Senatorial ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The primary will hold after a failed attempt
- By Tola Akiyode
The stage is now set for an epic battle for the Ekiti North Senatorial ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The primary will hold after a failed attempt by the leadership of the party to produce a consensus candidate to fly the party’s flag in next year elections.
Already, there are three front liners for the primary. Each of them carry with them a history of accomplishments in both their private and political lives. They are also crowd pullers who cannot be hounded or harassed by the leadership under any situation. The aspirants are the incumbent Senator, Cyril Fasuyi, former Senator Ayo Arise and a soft ware engineer, Otunba Dare Owolabi.
The senatorial district comprises of five local governments. They are Ilejemeje, Ido-Osi, Oye, Ikole and Moba. Fasuyi is from Ido-Osi, Owolabi, Ikole and Arise, Oye local government.
While Fasuyi who is the director general of the Oyebanji governorship campaign organization is rumored to be supported by the governor, the other two have the backing of former governors in the state.
Fasuyi had won his way into senate chambers in the last election by defeating former governor Fayemi‘s candidate. Fayemi as the then governor had wanted the ticket to go to present chairman of South West Development Commission , Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi who is from the same local government with the Fasuyi. Fayemi’s presidential ambition prevented him from supervising the primary and ensure the success of his candidate at the primary. Efforts made to get Adetunbi on the ballot as APC candidate failed and Fasuyi found his way into the senate.
But this time around, the situation and environment have changed as Fayemi and another former governor (names withheld) were rumored to have ruled out their support for Fasuyi despite the rumored support of Oyebanji who recently appointed him as the director general of his reelection campaign. The former governors and leaders insisted on a level playing ground for the primary.
Coupled with this is the popularity of the Senator which has waned over the last three years due to his performance. Many electorates in the senatorial district want better representation that will lead to the execution of projects witnessed in other senatorial districts.
They readily point to the achievements of other senators, particularly Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele in terms of attracting development projects to the five LGs in the district. To them, they want more than the yearly distribution of JAMB forms to students in the district .
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Besides, there is the call for rotation of the position amongst the five local governments in the district. Of the five local governments making up the senatorial district, only Ikole is yet to produce a Senator .
For Arise, his election in the primary could have been smoother except the fact that party members believed it is time for a true progressive to take the position. Both and Fasuyi were members of the opposition, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the past before they joined the APC. Party members were quick to remember what they suffered to get the progressives back to power after losing to Fayose and Engr Segun Oni. They queried why the former PDP members should enjoy the dividends of their struggle.
The third frontline aspirant, Dare Owolabi who is described as the “breath of fresh air” has been the toast of youths across the senatorial district. Youths have rally round him, claiming he is untainted and a better candidate to represent their interest.
Also, Ikole local government which is angling to produce the next senator is standing by him to fly the party’s flag in the next election.
Speaking on the candidature of Owolabi, for chairman of Ekiti State Local Government Service, Chief Ranti Adebisi said, “ We the leaders and members of the APC in Ikole see Owolabi as the surest way of producing the next senator in our district. He has a pedigree of good private and public service. His family is well known and has done well for himself in his private life. We are putting everything into his aspiration to enable Ikole produce the next senator. It is a shame that a local government as big as Ikole would be relegated when such a high position were being shared by other local governments. We have supported candidates from other local governments in the past and this is the time for them to reciprocate our good gesture. Let them support us now and we will also support them next time.”
Owolabi’s campaign tour of the senatorial district has always drawn huge crowd which may have set jitters down the pant of other aspirants. And with the leaders rally round him, any attempt to impose candidate on the senatorial may be met with serious resistance by the youths.
Owolabi who is the Chief Executive Officer, Xpress Payment Solutions, Lagos, Nigeria, had championed the launch and development for Payments and Technology companies within Nigeria, Ghana, United States, and India within the first three years of business startup.
He also played a key role in the foundation and forming of Mobile Payment initiatives in Nigeria.
It is therefore not surprising that youths in the local government are rooting for him to pick the senatorial ticket of the party.
However, there are fears that if the primary is not free and fair, it could lead to divisions and rancor ahead of the governorship election. This informed a meeting held by the leaders to reach a compromise with the aspirants outside the state last week on who should fly the party’s flags in the next year general elections.
The meeting failed as the leaders were rumored to be backing some of the aspirants and struggled to foist their preferred aspirant on the party.
The leaders including former governors of the state had preferred a consensus arrangement for the State and National Assembly elections. This is to avoid acrimony and rancor ahead of the June 20 governorship election in the state.
The election expected to return the incumbent government Biodun Oyebanji for a second consecutive term, no doubt is almost a done deal because of the weak opposition in the state. Oyebanji who is backed by all the former governors in the state, including Ayo Fayose of the opposition party, will be the first governor to spend unbreakable eight years in office if elected.
However, while the party member are optimistic of a successful election, there are fears that the primaries of party to pick candidates for the state assembly and National Assemblies may spell doom for the party and cause a setback in their quest to achieve the 500, 000.
The situation is not helped by the rumors that membership cards expected to be used for the primaries is being hoarded by the leadership of the party who are hellbent in imposing their favored aspirants in the next general.
Though, the rumor has not been confirmed, it is creating fears in the minds of the aspirants and their supporters who want the party to debunk the rumors.
But some leaders have dismissed the allegation unfounded. They hinged their stand on the statement issued by the governor, party and some of the former governors insisting on a free and fair primary for the purpose of picking party flag bearers in the next general elections.
Chief Ranti Adebisi, said the governor has spoken and every aspirant should prepare for the primary. He said the governor is a man of integrity that will never condone any unethical behavior before, during and after the primary.
• Akiyode wrote from Lagos
