Political Undercurrents In Ekiti South Zoning Agitation



In their characteristic manner, stakeholders in Ekiti South Senatorial District have renewed call for power shift to the zone ahead of the 2018 Governorship. They have placed several Radio Jingles and Advertorials to up the agenda and calling on people of other zones to reciprocate what they termed “good political gestures extended to them since the creation of the state”.
Although, there was no written agreement before, during and after  Ekiti state creation in 1996 that stipulates that the position of governorship would  be on rotation basis, but the agitators believed all political blocs in the state should be given the opportunity to occupy the exalted seat in the spirit of togetherness and equity.
Ekiti State is made of 16 Local Governments, with five each from North and Central Senatorial Districts.
Ironically, the South, which is allegedly being marginalised, is having six, but with the least voting strength.
It is no longer news, however that the two other political zones in the state, Ekiti North and Central have produced State Chief Executives on difference occasions.
Ekiti central Senatorial District, with has the highest voting strength, produced Otunba Niyi Adebayo from Iyin -Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government area of the state who governed the state  between 1999 and 2003.
As fate would have it,Adebayo handed over the baton to  Peter Ayodele Fayose, another man from Ekiti Central and Irepodun/ Ifelodun Local Government..Fayose who hails from Afao-Ekiti  and was at the helms of affairs from 2003 to 2006 before he was illegally removed from office.Fayose is also at the saddle now having won in the 2014 Governorship Election.
Engineer Segun Oni  and Dr Kayode  John Fayemi (alias JKF) who also governed Ekiti State between 2007- 2010 and 2010 – 2014 respectively were from Ekiti North Senatorial District.While Fayemi is from Oye Local Government, Oni hails from Ido-Osi.
However, antagonists of zoning have put forward another debate aimed at rubbishing the position of people of Ekiti South.
They argued that when Ekiti was under the old Ondo State, a man from the Ekiti South took the slot meant for Ekiti when zoning was adopted .The argument was to weaken claims of marginalization of Ekiti South in the current political arrangement.
From the look of things, the Ekiti South may suffer same fate as in 2014 since some governorship contenders from the area did not subscribe to zoning. Some of them have been saying that only weak politicians will rely on zoning to win election.
Among the proponents of this theory is former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly and APC chieftain  Rt Hon Femi Bamisile.
Rather than calling for zoning, Bamisile said the people of zone should demand credible and transparent process of selecting flag bearers .”If you are loved by the people and you do your campaign properly,it does not matter where you come from. A popular candidate would always win election any day”.
To another chieftain of the party and gubernatorial aspirant , Bamidele Faparusi maintained that the issue of zoning is sacrosanct.

POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE
DATE:04/28/2017

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