A Lagos based lawyer, Anthony Aladekomo, has written a letter to Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi and his predecessor, Ayodele Fayose over the 2022 governorship election in the state.
Newsflash Nigeria had reported that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced the timetable for conducting the Ekiti governorship poll.
According to the INEC timetable, the conduct of the party primaries in Ekiti is between January 4 to January 29, 2022, and the ground is being tilled for the coming governorship election in Ekiti State billed for June 18, 2022.
Barely 60 days (two months) to the governorship primary of the political parties, the political tension is rising steadily as preparations for the battle over who clinch the ticket of the major political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) gradually gets underway.
An open letter has been written to Fayemi and Fayose, who are leaders of rival political parties – the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party respectively to consider the Ekiti South zone for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Fayemi who control the delegates of the APC likewise Fayose in the PDP, appealed to two leaders by one lawyer identified as Anthony Aladekomo, discloses the goal of the letter is to persuade them to use their position and influence to make sure that, in the interest of justice, their political party fields a person from the Ekiti South Senatorial District as its governorship candidate in the governorship election that has been scheduled for June 2022.
While both Fayemi and Fayose are not eligible to contest for the position of the governor again after being in office for two terms each, their support for particular aspirants in their parties will go a long way in the determination of the eventual candidates of the parties.
Newsflash Nigeria understands that Fayemi and Fayose have already picked their candidates; which both leaders picked their choices from Ekiti Central Senatorial District.
Fayemi has alleged support a current Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Biodun Oyebanji, hails from Ikogosi Ekiti in Ekiti Central Senatorial District while Fayose supported immediate past PDP State Chairman, Otunba Bisi Kolawole, hails from Efon-Alaaye in Central Senatorial District.
Meanwhile, the legal practitioner raised the seven reasons to consider the power to shift the 2022 governorship position to the Ekiti South Senatorial District.
See the full letter:
AN OPEN LETTER TO GOV FAYEMI AND EX-GOV. FAYOSE ON EKITI SOUTH FOR 2022 GOVERNORSHIP
………………………………………………………………………………
ANTHONY S. ALADEKOMO, ESQ.
C/o NBA Ikeja Secretariat, Old Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos.
11th August 2021
Dr. John Kayode Fayemi,
Governor of Ekiti State/Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC),
Governor’s Office,
Ado Ekiti.
Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose,
Former Governor of Ekiti State/Leader of People’s Democratic Party (PDP),
Fayose House,
Afao -Ekiti.
Your Excellency,
SEVEN (7) REASONS YOU SHOULD SUPPORT GOVERNORSHIP POWER SHIFT TO EKITI SOUTH IN 2022
Sir, I write this letter to you in your capacity as the leader of your political party. I write in my capacity as a bona fide Ekiti indigene, a person who had had experience as a public servant in Ekiti State and a citizen who, along with his spouse, having registered as a voter in Lagos sometimes around 2011 had to transfer the registration to Ekiti State out of a passion for his State ahead of the 2018 governorship election. The goal of this letter is in deference to section 24 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which enjoins me to be a good citizen of Nigeria.
First of all, I must commend you for the steps that you have taken in your staggered two terms to take our dear State to higher levels economically and socially. May God give you the good health, strength, wisdom, knowledge and understanding to do better in your future vision for Ekiti and Nigeria in general.
Your Excellency, as the title of this letter, discloses the goal of this letter is to persuade you to use your good office and influence to make sure that, in the interest of justice, your political party fields a person from the Ekiti South Senatorial District as its governorship candidate in the governorship election that has been scheduled for June 2022. INEC has informed the nation that the primaries that will produce the candidate must hold in January 2022 i.e. about five months from now.
For the sake of clarity, sir, I will hereunder give seven reasons why the next Governor of our State should come from Ekiti South and not from Ekiti North or Ekiti Central:
1 EKITI NORTH AND EKITI CENTRAL HAVE HAD THEIR FAIR SHARES:
We have had four civilian Governors since the State was created in 1996 or since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999. It is a familiar fact that each of Ekiti North and Ekiti Central has had two of them. Ekiti North has had Mr Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi while Ekiti Central has had Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Mr Ayo Fayose. It is simply just and Godly to allow the governorship to go to the South at this time. Indeed, any party that jettisons this natural demand for power shift to the South risks losing the next election.
2 THE JUST AGITATION IS CONSTITUTIONAL:
Yes, the growing Ekiti South for 2022 governorship is in tandem with the spirit and the letter of fairness and respect for diversity embedded in such portions of our country’s Constitution as section 14 (4) and section 23. Sir, it has to be noted that the envisaged diversity does not pertain only to ethnicity but to the diverse senatorial districts and local government areas in a State. For the avoidance of doubt, section 14 (4) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution provides that “[t]he composition of the Government of a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the peoples”. Similarly, section 23 provides that “social justice” shall be one of our national ethics, fundamental objectives and directive principles of State policy.
3 SUPPORTING IT WILL SHOW YOU ARE A TRUE DEMOCRAT:
Sir, if you allow the office of the governorship to go to Ekiti South where it should rightfully go now, you will, by so doing, demonstrate yourself as a true democrat and a leader who has respect for justice, equity, fair play, constitutionalism and the just yearnings of his people. Your Excellency, you will be noted and celebrated as such not just among our Ekiti people but all over Nigeria. I may not be a fan of Chief James Ibori, a former Governor of Delta State, but I have great respect for him because he has never abused his power and influence in Delta politics. In other words, he has never insisted that the Delta governorship would remain in his own Delta Central Senatorial District. Neither has he ever by commission or omission excluded any senatorial district from producing the Governor of the State. He has not allowed ethnicity, nepotism or clannishness to prevent him from doing the right thing. Conversely, attempts to keep the governorship of States like Plateau and Kogi in one senatorial district has backfired. So, it is better to do the right thing honourably and at the right time.
4 THE HOMOGENEITY ARGUMENT IS SELFISH, DIVISIVE AND POROUS:
Your Excellency, I am not unaware that some selfish politicians have been arguing that Ekiti South does not have to produce the next Governor because they argue that “Ekiti is homogeneous.” By their egocentric positivist reasoning, it would be okay to share the family commonwealth among only two of three siblings because they are ‘homogenous’ and have the same DNA. Sir, please, ignore such people for they say that because of their egocentric interest. Do not allow them to tarnish your good name and legacy. Sir, I can assure you that such politicians will not only grumble but ‘revolt’ if you tell them that you have decided that the next Governor would come from your hometown or even local government area. At that time, they will no longer argue that Ekiti is homogenous. If Ekiti is homogenous, it is not the only State that is homogenous in Nigeria; governorship has circulated in the three senatorial districts of many similarly homogenous States. The Chinese philosopher, Confucius, is reputed to have said, “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ put it in a better perspective, which is now called the golden rule, by saying, “Do unto others as you want them do unto you” (Matthew 7: 12). Those selfish politicians seem to be oblivious of this age-old historical and philosophical moral, but I know you know and believe it, sir.
5 “EKITI SOUTH HAS ALWAYS CONTESTED” ARGUMENT TOO IS SELFISH:
Sir, in pursuance of their egocentric interest, some politicians have also been arguing that power does not have to shift to Ekiti South this time around because candidates from Ekiti South have always contested the elections that have been held in the State. Is this peculiar to Ekiti State? Had candidates like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe not been contesting the Nigerian presidency before a power shift to Southern Nigeria was successfully demanded in 1999? Had Northerners not been contesting the presidency before 2015 when they insisted on having the presidency? Have Southerners not been contesting the presidency before now that increasing marginalisation has moved the Southern Governors Forum to insist that the South must produce the next President of Nigeria? Sir, please be wary of such politicians whose arguments are caricatures of self-centredness and callousness.
6 POWER SHIFT WILL ACCORD WITH EKITI’S LOVE OF PEACE AND JUSTICE:
Your Excellency, all of us Ekiti do celebrate the fact that Ekiti has, at different times, been ranked as the most peaceful State in Nigeria. Similarly, Ekiti people have been noted, especially from the Ondo State era, as a people who will always insist on justice and tirelessly fight for it with petitions. We will always use our petitions—our intellectualism, knowledge and educational exposure—to fight for justice. There is an aphorism that justice is the foundation of every true peace. We are not known for violence or physical confrontation, but for the peaceful resolution of disputes through petitions and litigations. If we have always asked for justice since the Ondo State era, why can’t we do justice among our three senatorial districts at this time that we are autonomous? Sir, please do not allow any selfish politician to derail this Ekiti legacy of peacefulness and justice; we need to promote a sense of belonging among our people. Let us not take a political decision that can lead to divisiveness or threaten our collective heritage of peacefulness and justice.
7 LOYAL, TRUSTWORTHY AND COMPETENT PEOPLE ABOUND IN EKITI SOUTH:
Sir, I can also assure you that many people who are not only competent but loyal and trustworthy to you abound in Ekiti South. There are many “Fay-tokan tokan” people in Ekiti South. In a nutshell, Ekiti South neither lacks competent nor “Fay-tokan tokan” loyalists.
In the light of the foregoing, Your Excellency, I reiterate my call on you to use your good office, influence and position to make sure that your political party fields an aspirant from Ekiti South as its candidate in the next governorship election. Justice, equity, fairness and Godliness demand this. Sir, my somewhat distant interactions with you in the past indicate that you would again prove yourself as a leader who has feelings for the yearnings of his people.
For the avoidance of doubt, sir, I am not holding brief for any Southern aspirant. As a Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you can bank on my words that I have never discussed this 2022 governorship matter with any Ekiti South aspirant face-to-face, on the telephone or even on social media. Ditto, I do not have any political affiliation with any of them. As my antecedents can attest, I am simply being a good and proud Ekiti man with a passion for fairness, human rights, and the educational and socio-economic development of our State.
Thank you for the anticipated positive reply and action, sir.
Yours faithfully,
ASA
Anthony S. Aladekomo,LL. B. (Ibadan), LL. M. (Lagos), BL.
Author, Ekiti State Book of Facts
Barrister & Solicitor of Supreme Court of Nigeria
Notary Public of Nigeria.
