By Patrick Obahiagbon<\/p>\n
After muchpertinacious ballyhoo, conquistadorial rodomontade and political
\nsaber-rattlingby the outgoing governor of Ekiti state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose
\nof the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) that he had his imprimatur
\naudaciously stamped in thesun, evidencing his allodia ownership to the
\nland title of Ekiti, the outcomeof the July 14, 2018 governorship election
\nhad shattered the false claim andopened a new vista in the surefooted
\npolitical evolution that is set toredefine the state now and in futuro.<\/p>\n
Fayose\u2019s Goebbelianirritabilities, innuendoes and direct assaults on the
\nAll Progressives Congress(APC), President Muhammadu Buhari and the
\nsecurity agencies all in a bid topsyche himself up and manipulate public
\nperception about his popularity andinvincibility in the governorship
\npolitics of Ekiti state have come to naught\u00a0in the face of the facts and
\nelection figures that were summative of theessential mandate by the people
\nthat tilted the pendulum of victory andlegitimacy in favour of Dr. Kayode
\nFayemi.<\/p>\n
Fayemi, who wasgovernor in the state from October 16, 2010 to October 16,
\n2014, now has abetter title, following his victory in the weekend\u2019s
\ngovernorship election.There is an emphatic change of ownership and with
\nthat change comes a neworientation in terms of the sublime and pragmatic
\nsocio-political and economicinteractions and appreciation of the place of
\nleadership in keeping fidelity tothe social contract that has been forged
\nwith the elements of APC\u2019s robustmanifestoes on which Fayemi\u2019s
\nelectioneering was anchored.<\/p>\n
The era ofFayose\u2019s peculiar political gambadoism that questions the
\ncosmopolitan andenlightened spirit of Ekiti and its intelligentsia is fast
\napproaching aeuphoric terminus.\u00a0 All of us in the APC are in a celebratory
\nmood that onOctober 16, 2018, Fayose would be hoisted in his own petard
\nand the process ofexorcising Ekiti of his negative politics and influence
\nwill begin in earnest.That is one task that holds a great promise for
\nEkiti under the watch of theurbane, unassuming and affable Fayemi.<\/p>\n
But beyond thedemystification of Fayose and the dislodgement of PDP in
\nEkiti is the dominoeffect of this political Risorgimento on the national
\nreputation andacceptability of the APC brand by Nigerians.\u00a0 The APC has
\ncome underexistential attacks by the opposition elements who have hurled
\nall manner ofpropaganda to de-market it ahead of the 2019 general
\nelections.\u00a0 In theirdesperate and diabolical schema, they have continued
\nto portray the APC andPresident Buhari as incompetent in the enormous task
\nof cleansing the Augeanstables of corruption which they had inflicted on
\nthe nation in their 16 yearsof clueless and rapacious government.<\/p>\n
As Buharicontinues to put his nose to the grindstone, the PDP-led
\noppositions and otherretrogressive centrifugal and centripetal forces that
\nare uncomfortable withthe administration\u2019s anti-corruption war and moves
\nto correct the age-longappropriation of our commonwealth by a few powerful
\nindividuals haveunconscionably and consistently sponsored killings in
\nparts of the country inorder to discredit the government. That has been
\nthe original sin of Buhari:his commitment to take back our country from
\nthe vice-like grips orstrangleholds of those that have privatized it.<\/p>\n
Understandably,the anti-Buhari elements have committed themselves to
\nobfuscate the gradual butconsistent progress towards good governance and
\nintegrity in government.\u00a0Except for mischief makers, there is a national
\nconsensus that the level of rotinherited by Buhari is monumentally
\nabysmal.\u00a0 It is such that it canoverwhelm a revolutionary approach to
\ngovernance.\u00a0 The necessity tosystematically deal with the contending and
\nproblematic issues has, in fact,put a strain on a government that is eager
\nto deliver.<\/p>\n
The matterbecomes more difficult in a situation where the president, as
\nthe poster childof the anti-corruption war, appears to be the only one
\nthat is committed to thewar in terms of his antecedents, pedigrees,
\ncredible verbal exhortations andeven body language.\u00a0 This has been
\nglobally acknowledged. Recently, he wasconferred with the honour of
\nanti-corruption champion on the continent ofAfrica by the African Union
\n(AU). On the corruption issue, Buhari is on top ofhis game with the
\nEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under thewatch of Ibrahim
\nMagu doing a yeoman job.<\/p>\n
On the othergovernance issues like the economy and security which the
\noppositions takedelight to criticise, the president has entrusted
\nqualified individuals tosuperintend them and he is providing the requisite
\nleadership gravitas. He isdisposed to retool and re-kit his administrative
\ninfrastructure as time goes onfor better efficient service delivery. That
\nis the essence of government andgovernance.<\/p>\n
For close tofour years, Buhari has been working persistently and
\nsteadfastly at rebuildinga better and greater Nigeria from the ruins of 16
\nyears that he inherited fromthe PDP. It will be unfair to expect him to
\nclear the age-long mess in ajiffy.\u00a0 It does not work that way. He has to
\nconscientiously work atit.\u00a0 That explains the series of executive orders
\nhe has signed to bolsteradministrative actions that would conduce to good
\ngovernance. With thedirection that he is headed clearly defined as the
\npresident and head of theexecutive, it will be salutary to get the buy-in
\nof the legislature and thejudiciary, the two other arms that make up the
\nfederal government. Once cooperationand synergy are emplaced, the federal
\ngovernment will be home and dry.<\/p>\n
Indeed, judgingby the much the Buhari administration has achieved, in so
\nshort a time, I aminclined to believe that another four years in the
\nsaddle will enable much moreprogress.\u00a0 The president will be able to build
\nmore physical andadministrative infrastructure including institutions that
\nwill preserveofficial mores rather than the characteristic predilection of
\nbuildingindividuals. It is in the above context that the president\u2019s
\ndecision to seekre-election in 2019 is in apple-pie order: to continue the
\ngood work.<\/p>\n
It isheartwarming that leaders and members of our party, working in
\nconcert withNigerians, are pushing the apt narrative that a second term in
\noffice for Buhariis an opportunity to provide elixir for all of our
\nnation\u2019s fundamentalturpitude and putrescence.\u00a0To realise Buhari\u2019s
\nre-election in pragmaticterms, a vast majority of Nigerians would have to
\nenlist in the campaign todismantle all manner of shared prejudices,
\nprimordial sentiments and faultlines that the opposition elements and
\nthose who are determined to truncate hisgood work have mounted on the
\ntrajectory to 2019 victory.<\/p>\n
Overall, theirdiabolic and odious agendas are headed for the political
\nseppuku. Happily, thevictory of the APC in Ekiti, under the national
\nchairmanship of Comrade AdamsOshiomhiole, is both a precursor and fillip
\nto the president\u2019s surefooted marchto a win in the scheduled February 16,
\n2019 presidential election.\u00a0 Theoutcome of the governorship election is a
\nclear statement that the APC is anacceptable national political brand.
\nThis is expected to be reconfirmed in theforthcoming Osun governorship
\nelection. Meantime, Fayemi\u2019s victory overFayose\u2019s candidate, Professor
\nOlusola Kolapo, in the poll is a clear pointer tothe string of APC\u2019s
\nsuccesses in elections between now and in the scheduled2019 general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
– Honourable Obahiagbon, former member of the House of Representatives,
\nwrites from Benin.<\/p>\n
By Patrick Obahiagbon After muchpertinacious ballyhoo, conquistadorial rodomontade and political saber-rattlingby the outgoing governor of Ekiti state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) that he had his imprimatur…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n