‘A small clique of unscrupulous, selfish, ambitious and criminally stupid managers of our affairs must give way for a new order. Nigerians must be counted in the quest for a new Nigeria. All patriots must insist on a new foundation for Nigeria in the 21st century’’Quoted in Nowinta’s book -WHERE WE ARE (page 138)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
Unarguably, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Nigeria, who was sworn in on the 16th of October 2014, is the most lousy, controversial and reckless sitting Governor in the Federal Republic of Nigeria today.
Since his famous and shocking victory over Kayode Fayemi in the June 21st Ekiti State Governorship Election, he has presented himself as nothing but a political rascal, who is ready not to abide by any constitutional obligation or democratic convention, except those things that meet his immediate fancy.
The recent widely published advertorial in some national dallies, wishing ‘death’ for General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, showed beyond reasonable doubt that Governor Ayo Fayose belongs to the school of political scoundrels and barbarism
It offends common sense and democratic decorum that even, after the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and President Goodluck Jonathan had cleverly disassociated themselves from the said out of place ‘advert,’ Governor Fayose adamantly refused to show remorse by sarcastically saying: ‘no regrets.’
In a country already laced, loaded and saturated with election fever, where tension and tempers are flying like kites on daily basis since the campaigns for February elections began, a character like Ayo Fayose must be condemned in the harshest way possible.
This is the only way his likes around the country can be curtailed and cut to size, before they succeed in contaminating clean politicians and choke up the political space with unnecessary tension, uncertainty and fear.
Now, the first blame must be heaped squarely on the shoulders of PDP for allowing such a politically uncultured and mean guy to emerge first as its Governorship candidate.
The PDP has simply told us in clear terms that the process of selecting its Governorship candidate in the last Governorship election in Ekiti State was quite riddled with kangaroo atmosphere; that is to say that the best well behaved and the most competent aspirants were never given a level playing field to showcase their capabilities.
Because in a society, such as Ekiti, where the heaviest numbers of the educated reside or come from; and a state generally known as ‘fountain of knowledge,’ if due process and level playing field was adopted by the PDP , a character like Ayo Fayose would never have been picked as the flag bearer of PDP.
Agreed that the PDP threw internal Democratic process and caution to the winds by picking Fayose, how did the APC and the generality of the people of Ekiti State permit him to have his way over and above ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi during the last governorship election?
Taking a careful look at the antecedents of both ex- Governor Fayemi and incumbent Fayose, the scale of competence should have tilted in favor and direction of comrade Fayemi.
This is indeed a bitter lesson for the good people of Ekiti State and the prominent politicians across political divide, to always put parochial interests, emotions, etc., far from issues of developmental strategies/aspirations of their state.
No wonder Professor Wole Soyinka, comrade Femi Falana, yours sincerely and other well- meaning commentators on the unexpected exit of comrade Fayemi from Government House, Ado-Ekiti have not been able to come to practical terms how the APC lost the election to PDP, even in the face of overwhelming positive performance of Fayemi while in the saddle as Governor.
The APC must be licking their wounds now! Next time Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu (national leader of APC) and other leaders/array of advisers would think thrice before picking their flag bearer in Ekiti State.
This quickly reminds me of the 2016 Governorship Election coming up in Edo State. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole should be very careful in whom he eventually throws his weight behind, as the Governorship flag bearer of the APC for the 2016 Governorship contest in Edo State.
I am sounding this warning because of the sad, ugly and worrisome development oozing out of Fayose’s Ekiti State today.
The PDP is like a wounded lion now in Edo State, if the APC fails to get it right by zeroing in on the wrong guy to slug it out with whomever the PDP will throw up, all the gains of Adams Oshiomhole will vanish like sugar put in a fire.
Today, Governor Ayo Fayose is behaving like a bull dog that tasted blood and now chasing every opposing animal on sight!
The Ekiti State House of Assembly is being controlled and managed by Fayose’s yes men who are in the minority; the majority members of Ekiti State House of Assembly are being hunted by all means available to the Governor; the judiciary is being messed up in an unprecedented manner; workers who were dully screened and employed by ex-Governor Fayemi have been savagely laid off in Ekiti State House of Assembly.
Politics of brazen corruption, nepotism, highhandedness and outright vendetta has been elevated to the zenith in Ekiti State; now everything and anything goes, including the latest ‘hate/death wish advert’ signed by Governor Fayose against General Buhari.
No wonder, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2007, who had entrusted Ayo Fayose (in his first coming as Governor) with the task of selecting his successor, dramatically removed him as chair of the selection team, and dumped ,fought and ultimately used the then Ekiti State House of Assembly to impeach and disgrace Fayose out of office and power! Obasanjo knew better indeed!
The way things are now, Ayo Fayose has not learnt any lesson; his political body language is dangerous and uncalled for in Nigerian democracy.
The National Human Rights Commission must deal with Fayose as it has indicated for what he has done to General Buhari. All men of good will must condemn Governor Ayo Fayose for his latest political rascality.
The National Judicial Commission and the National Assembly must stop Fayose’s reckless recourse to executive rascality in Ekiti State.
2015 elections should be about issues; certainly not about a visionless political thug that suddenly finds himself in the saddle of power.
Nowinta wrote: WHERE WE ARE – A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA
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He is seeking ministerial position it is politics.