Celebrating Fayose, the people’s governor at 53 Sunday Tribune November 17, 2013. Page 22, By Gbenga Olaifa A TOAST TO AYO FAYOSE @ 53 Osokomole, the generalissimo of Ekiti State politics as he is fondly called by his admirers, is an irrepressible politician created by God as a gift to the people of Ekiti State. Peter Ayodele Fayose, who governed Ekiti State between May 29, 2003 and October 16, 2006, is a man no politician in Ekiti State can do away with, because of his value as an unbeatable political strategist and planner per excellent. Fayose the thinker, Fayose the planner and Fayose the strategist all have the same goals, liberating his people from maladministration and staying ahead of anti-masses politicians, who have made him the political rival due to his love for Ekiti. Why does Fayose face so many travails and fight so many battles? Simple. Those who vilify him do so either because they could not match his intelligence and popularity or because he refused to submit to their whims and caprices. No politician in Ekiti State had been so plotted against as Fayose and no one has conquered like him. Like Biblical King David, Fayose is always armed with the words of Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you (God) are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Due to what he described as political conspiracy against his person, he decided to resign his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2009 and this step consequently affected the partys fortune in the state. And when the Osokomole returned to the PDP in 2011, it was clear that the people’s beloved had returned. Thus, he led his group (Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation) to win the January 2012 congress, where new state executive of the party was elected. Fayose aspires to return to the Government House in October 2014 and as a confirmation of the people’s love for him, he is the most popular and most formidable of the 29 governorship aspirants struggling for the partys ticket. As a pragmatic politican, Fayose has always identified what he wants and knows how to get it. But he is a thoroughbred democrat, who believes in the prevalence of people’s power to choose their leaders. This informed his opposition to the adoption of consensus arrangement to pick the partys flagbearer. He had advocated for a transparent governorship primary but other aspirants, who felt he would not be easy to defeat threw their weight behind the state chairman of the party, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, who not only proposed consensus but suspended Fayose for daring to opposing him. That decision was immediately reversed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and the sanctity of the people’s choice through primaries had been chosen over consensus; thanks to Fayose the democrat. The standard bearer of the party would be chosen through transparent primary to be conducted and monitored by the NWC, in accordance with the partys constitution. While the state seceratary of the PDP, Dr Tope Aluko recently said the party was looking forward to the emergence of a candidate with political clout, who can win election and not one who will end as candidate, the popular opinion in the state favours Fayose to not only win the PDP ticket but also to defeat the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the 2014 election. Fayose stands out far above other aspirants. He is a former governor; he had defeated the incumbent party before and he is more experienced and energetic to do it again. Another advantage working for Fayose is the support of Ekiti people. Teachers, civil servants, local government workers, traders, artisans, commercial motorcycle operators, drivers, pensioners and students are demanding for the return of their lover and friend, Fayose to the Government House, so as to continue the good work he started in the state. Fayose opened up Ekiti State for development; his achievements have become a parametre for judging others who came after him. Some of these include: the dualisation of Ado Ekiti Township roads, construction of a new governors office, presidential lodge, Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye Multipurpose Hall, Fountain Motel, Lady Jibowu Hall, Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, and the construction of rural roads and those linking communities together. These works were done with Fayose not borrowing a dime. And apart from paying the debt he inherited from the Niyi Adebayo administration, he left N13 billion in the state treasury when he left office. Ekiti workers, who were getting their salaries on the 20th of every month and who were provided incentives to work, can never but be gtateful to the former governor; ditto for the people of the state who had a governor that worked for them and walked with them. Young and old people in Ekiti State all love Osokomole, who turns 53 last Friday, 15 November, and they earnestly pray that he celebrates the next birthday as their governor. 53 hearty cheers to the generalissimo of Ekiti politics. Gbenga Olaifa Political Analyst Ode Ekiti Ekiti State
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 06:53:20 +0000
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