The article by Wole Olujobi in respect of the above on April 12, 2022, in a way, makes some interesting reading. It at least provides some insight into the extent of the enveloping panic and despair in the camp of the APC people in Ekiti State. It also to a large extent reveals a state of disillusionment in APC. I will use some quotes from Wole’s piece to support this characterisation.
First, he described the SDP’s White Horse logo as an “ambitious ass trying in vain to turn the table against the fortress of established parties that have men and widespread memberships”. Interesting! The whole nation is witnessing what APC did to Nigeria and how the party has shamelessly spent the last over seven years in power blaming the PDP for its poor performance in all aspects of governance. OBJ put it correctly when he said “give America to Buhari to manage and in one year he will destroy America and then blame Abraham Lincoln for it! APC clearly is a party that cannot and will not accept responsibility for its shortcomings, instead it will always blame others for its failure. Both APC and PDP are the two “fortress of established parties that have men and widespread memberships”. Keep up the illusion of invincibility and see how David will slay the combined Goliaths on June 18th.
I am indeed surprised that “Igi Rabata” as Wole is often referred to, would say of SDP “At resurrection after its first coming gone awry in 1993 during which political undertakers with their long knives chiselled soul out of its skin”. First coming gone awry in 1993 and “political undertakers …. chiselled soul out of its skin”. Obviously, this is a clear indication that Wole and his masters must have paid only lip service to the June 12 struggle otherwise, he would never have referred to SDP in such a cavalier, perfunctory manner. It is really very disappointing and a callous disservice to those of us who made varying degrees of sacrifice on June 12.
It is interesting that Wole is making a reference to Lagos and alleged that SDP is out to “dupe susceptible political players, including a bloc of the unsuspecting electorate, by selling a dummy of a Lagos largess that will make them instant millionaires during campaigns”. What a wild imagination! We know your pay masters are intrinsically contemptuous of your National Leader in Lagos, but we least expect that you will find a way at all cost to want to blackmail him so that your Ogas will have their way. Maybe you should face your diminishing reality here in Ekiti and leave Lagos out of the Ekiti politics.
It is interesting that Wole wrote “which APC is better placed to win to consolidate power to continue the current development agenda of Governor Kayode Fayemi”. Pray what are the achievements of Fayemi that require consolidation? Is it more debt or non-payment of pensions and gratuities or salaries? How many kilometers of road were constructed by Fayemi administration? How much public water was supplied to how many LGAs? Beyond empty rhetoric and overblown superlatives cast in opaque generalisations, what exactly did Fayemi achieve in office? May be Wole should spend more time on collating and canvassing Fayemi’s specific achievements as we have done for Oni’s previous tenure and APC could then have the guts to bring up Fayemi’s achievements against Oni’s? That will be the day!
Wole wrote: “Pray, what business do Ekiti State SDP’s oligarchs have with PDP national leaders, such as Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), in Minna other than canvassing for the oiling of the old ambition’s ladder of Ekiti SDP promoters who are desperate to seize control of PDP in Ekiti State again after the ruthless Ayo Fayose chased them out of PDP?” So Babangida’s place is now a no-go area. Really? It was OK for Fayemi to say “I join the rest of the country to celebrate former head of state and elder statesman, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), on his 80th birthday.
Gen. Babangida has demonstrated his patriotism, dedication and commitment to the Nigeria project as a soldier and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
https://saharareporters.com/2021/08/18/fake-democrats-sowore-slams-ekiti-governor-fayemi-praising-ex-military-dictator-ibb-80th
When it is Fayemi, Babangida is a patriot, but when it is Oni visiting him, IBB is suddenly a villain! This is hypocrisy at its worst. This sort of sanctimonious attribution to self hardly inspires a noble legacy. Instead, it exposes the true character of a fair-weather chameleon, a man of anything goes and a friend of convenience. These are not acceptable vices in Ekiti in the long run.
Well, we shall see on June 18th. It is Ekiti people that this time around will decide.
By Otunba Ben Oguntuase
Ikole Ekiti
08037137320
April 21, 2022.