Don’t cry for Fayose

By Joseph Edgar…

The Ekiti elections have come and gone and a winner has emerged. I am very reluctant in writing this article simply because these are early days and a lot more information and the traditional court cases rejecting the results are yet to unfold. But that said, I would be constrained to make initial comments.

That this election was free and fair is like saying that Jesus was not crucified we have seen footages from both sides buying votes, we have heard all sort of stories alleging uncanny and under the table acts ensuring that either party wins the votes. I was on a Radio programme yesterday, the Jide Benson Dialogue where the issue of people selling their votes for as little as N4,000 come to the fore.

All sort of reasons were given to either explain or justify the act. You see for me, the solution is education and public enlightenment. When you subjugate people within the morass of ignorance and pure illiteracy and then you throw abject poverty into the mix, what you get is a pliable electorate. These would now be willing weapons in the hands of the paymaster. The simple solution, is education. Now, whether this would happen in my life time is not something i am looking forward to.

Back to Fayose. He fought the good fight and lost the war. But let me say at this juncture, he won our conscience. He stood firm and refused to sell his convictions. Some of us may laugh at his theatrics and uncouth ways, but one thing you must realise is his persistence, his consistency, his ability to stay true to his convictions. These qualities most of our leaders lack and as such we find it difficult to predict their every move.

Fayose stands tall in my books as a colossus who rather than jump ship at the slightest opportunity stood tall to his beliefs to the end. The career politicians who have won this election, I dare say once again really do not have anything to offer the Ekiti people except a platform to maintain their lifestyles.

We have looked closely at the Ministry they are coming from, nothing appreciable happened there. We are also looking to see what great plans would be unfolded on behalf of the Ekiti people and, what do I see? Nothing but bleakness!

Read also: Galadima And The Reformed APC

I am afraid it’s not yet uhuru for Ekiti people. The road is still long.
Fayemi has nothing to offer but a grandouois and elitist agenda that would offer the downtrodden people of Ekiti nothing but a pantomime.

But whatelse can we do? The people appear to have spoken. Let us wait and see as events unfold.

For those who have begun to drum the beats of an imminent EFCC harassment of Fayose, I will remind them that this is a democracy and not a Banana Republic. Fayose, I am very sure, will stand and face whatever it is that would be thrown at him. But if you ask me, I would expect the powers that be to rise above this level of mediocrity and seek a fence mending approach that would lead to a consensual bridge for the betterment of the long suffering people of Ekiti.

But something tells me, our politics is still very far from this level. To the trenches we remain.

 

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