Ekiti 2022 : Don’t Coerce Appointees to Back Aspirant, Fayemi’s Aides Warned

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Miffed with the rumour that some loyalists of Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi were allegedly coercing some appointees to back a particular aspirant in the January 27 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary, a former Commissioner for Public Utilities, Mr. Bamidele Faparusi has advised the governor to caution some of his supporters.

Faparusi said allowing such alleged negative tendency to go unabated could smear the governor’s image and throw APC into unimaginable confusion.

The former House of Representatives member and governorship aspirant said this in Ado Ekiti yesterday, during a chat with newsmen on the forthcoming primary slated for January 27.

Faparusi said the alleged unconscionable act being exhibited by these aides was antithetical to democratic norms, saying it was utterly wrong and demeaning for anyone to breach the right of others by trying to force him to vote or support any aspirant against his wish.

He added that the governor as the father to all the APC aspirants must stop those who are doing this alleged great disservice to his personality, saying such could abrade the respect the party members has for the governor if these people are allowed to display such tendency unwarned.

Faparusi said: “It has come to my notice that some elements, claiming to be emissaries of Dr Fayemi were calling some appointees and demanding that they must support a certain aspirant against their wishes. This unconscionable act is a political fraud and it is greatly condemnable.

“Unfortunately, some of those being threatened are core politicians who worked for the emergence of this government. They should stop treating people as if they did them a favour by appointing them. They worked for the party and they deserved their appointments.

“This sounds so repulsive and depressing. How can they be compelling appointees to erect a billboard for a certain aspirant on the instruction of Mr Governor? Is this democracy or militocracy?”.

Faparusi expressed confidence that the governor would surely wield a big stick against those perpetrating the alleged fraudulent, undemocratic and inhuman activities without authorization.

“But the governor as the leader of the party should quickly sanction these people and come public to condemn this nefarious activity. He had promised a level playing field for everyone and I do not see how intimidation and harassment of delegates will ensure a level playing ground at the primary”.

Meanwhile, the Director General, Office of Strategy, Transformation and Delivery to the governor Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, has defended the agitations being intensified by politicians of the southern extraction over alleged plan by the APC to dump zoning of the ticket to the zone for the 2022 governorship election.

Aluko posited that it was illogical, bewildering and disappointing, for any party to be laying claim to the fact that a zone having not produced the governor in 23 years of the advent of democracy remains immaterial and unimportant .

Aluko said this in a memo he personally signed and placed on party’s platform in Ado Ekiti yesterday.

The former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, in his submission said: “When you remember that the current civilian dispensation started in 1999, that means that 1999 to 2023 is 24 years. Now divide 24 by eight years, which is the maximum tenure of governors and you will get three .

“But three is the number of Senatorial districts in each state, around which gubernatorial seats are theoretically or nominally supposed to rotate, all things being equal freely, equitably, fairly and justly. So it is expected that that rotation should have been completed by 2023.

“Now imagine if even by that 2023, not only has one senatorial district not been Governor, rather a new round of three-cycle governorships is threatening to see one old district, which has had it before start again. Is that not enough justification to cry out marginalization?

Is that senatorial district not part of that State?

“If some unknown or unknowable party system cause favoured or anointed candidates -Governors to emerge as is often claimed, maybe that same system is rigged against that victim senatorial district, or can yet be rigged to correct the imbalance? Inquiring minds want to know. Let us think about it”, Aluko stated.