Victor Ogunje,
fter several months of guessing and political permutations, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, recently hinted at a governorship run in Ekiti State. His interest will undoubtedly alter the existing political equation, particularly in the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of its May 5 primary and the July 14 governorship bout.
Fayemi’s declaration didn’t come as a surprise to many who have been following trends in the state as rumour had been rife that the former governor desired to come back to the Government House in 2018.
Before Fayemi took the plunge, the APC had about 35 aspirants who had declared intentions for the plum seat. The former governor, who was in the saddle between 2010 and 2014, was defeated by incumbent Governor Ayodele Fayose, in a manner that took the people by surprise and made political analysts still ruminating over how an incumbent, believed to have redefined governance in the best way possible, could be roundly defeated in all the 16 local governments by an opposition figure.
Several postulations were adduced for Fayemi’s loss. Some said it was due to alleged rigging through the instrumentality of military and paramilitary organisations deployed by the then federal government. Some said it was due to the inability of the Minister to connect with the grassroots, meaning that he was elitist. Some said it was rigged through electronic means called ‘Photo chromic.’ Whatever reasons the APC brought to the fore to rationalise its position, the fact remained that Fayemi lost the election.
Since last year, party members have been speculating about Fayemi’s interest, which had attracted condemnations among some of the APC aspirants. The scurrilous comments against Fayemi’s personality made the State Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, to openly express worries on the matter and warned that any aspirant hiding under social media or other platforms to perpetrate such would be dealt with.
Fayemi has remained a factor in Ekiti politics. Virtually all the people that have federal appointments in Buhari’s government were through his connections. And many of the APC aspirants eyeing the coveted seat have benefitted from his political structure and were actually hoping to use it for the