Oyebanji’s Jinx Breaking Record And Lessons of History
By Victor Ogunje
The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has just won his second term political battle. His unique political trajectory teaches a lesson that nobody can be underrated in politics. This governor came radiating with a humble mien in 2022. He reflects a look that makes many to despise his ability to wield uncanny influence and political wizardry to entrench himself in the system. But alas, he ended up becoming a towering political icon, jinx breaker and record setter in Ekiti politics.
After months of campaigns and political horse trading, the governor triumphed over his opponents, by amassing a total of 319,224 votes to emerge winner of the June 20 governorship poll. This political feat has thrown many off- balance, making it obvious that politics is about serious planning, critical thinking and not a noise making venture, nor social media posturing.
Interestingly, BAO, as he is fondly called, demystified the snaggy back- to- back winning that never happened in the history of Ekiti State. He broke the myth as well as the mindset that no Ekiti governor can serve unbroken eight years in office This might sound superstitious, but past political trajectories buttressed and amplified such belief. In this election, Oyebanji fought serious wars when there was little war to fight. He knew quite well about the standing and dictum of history.
Though the governor approached the election with vigour and vitality. He had no opposition to fight , but feeble and highly emasculated opponents. This didn’t make him complacent. He set a vote target of 500,000 minimum to project for the 2027 reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , a leader that has tacitly given him enormous backing.
It is expedient to reminisce on the past. In 2003, Governor Niyi Adebayo toed similar path and fell to a more streaky politician, Ayodele Fayose, who was the most potent political machinery driving the People’s Democratic Party then. Dr. Kayode Fayemi suffered similar fate in 2014, when Fayose, who came from eight years political wilderness bestrode the landscape and defeated him. However, Fayemi too came back in 2018 to repay back Fayose in his own coin, when he trounced his anointed candidate for the 2018 governorship poll, Prof Olusola Kolapo Eleka, the then deputy governor.
From his advent in 2022, Oyebanji has proven to be a master of the game. Imbued with experiences and solid mentorship, he acted like Nostradamus and played the game like someone who had seen tomorrow. His history making record and soaring political stature were not secured on a platter of gold. He worked hard to earn it. It was a product of hardwork, sacrifices, humility, self deprivation and imbibition of other good attributes of an ideal leader.
He started by hitting the ground running. He achieved this by not inheriting the enemies of his political mentors: Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi. He instead built bridges across political strata. His enigmatic fraternity with former Governor Fayose was robust, ditto that of Segun Oni. He was inclusive and gregarious. This helped in emasculating his political opponents and pushed the opposition in disarray for him to fully consolidate on governance .
Learning from the past histories is very important in politics. Political pundits often described history as the root of politics. That was why Oyebanji voraciously understudied how the former governors fell due to winner takes all syndrome. He cleverly escaped this booby trap for him to stay afloat politically and expand his reach geometrically. He was nice to APC’s political leaders and pivotal members of the opposition. This really gave him a leverage to rally supporters across board.
As a pragmatic politician and administrator, he maintained seamless relationship with workers, traders, students, youths, professionals, okada riders, drivers and religious bodies. His respect for traditional rulers was high and mighty. He learnt from the election of 2014 when workers played prominent role in bringing back Fayose after eight years of political obscurity. These actually made the job and electoral victory easier for him.
In terms of performance, Governor Oyebanji has been adjudged outstanding by Ekiti people. His imprints are everywhere. From education to infrastructures, security to healthcare services, human capital development , arts and culture, human capital development, Oyebanji did excellently well. Most importantly, he ensured that all his road infrastructure and other projects were spread across the state. No council was left behind, unlike the past ,when projects were being predominantly domiciled and concentrated in the capital city. This really captivated the people at the grassroots.
Giving political leaders a sense of belonging is another area where the governor endeared himself to political gladiators. He didn’t stop at giving respect only to the leaders, like the former governors . He decentralised powers by building a collegiate political structures that gave respect and voice to APC Chairman at the Ward and Local Government levels. To demonstrate this, virtually all the leaders made inputs into how his cabinet was constituted.
Th youth constitutes 60 percent of the voting demography in Ekiti State. The fact that the governor has made himself a darling of this stratum helped in lubricating all frictions that could create stumps and landmines on his way. His huge investments in digital training, where over 5,000 youths have been trained really helped a great deal. The bring back youth into farming that had enriched over 4,500 youth farmers and made them silent millionaires was considered a highpoint of this government.
As at the last count, the governor had succeeded in employing over 20,000 youths into the formal and informal sectors of the economy. Thousands of artisans and traders have been empowered and still being considered for patronage. In one swell swoop, the governor facilitated one billion naira soft loan for traders, with an interest rate of 8%. These have made him control a cult-like followers within that corridor.
Another masterstroke action that gave the governor an edge was the fulfilment of promises to workers, who are considered critical stakeholders who can swing votes at will during elections. Ekiti State was one of the few states to implement the enhanced N70,000 minimum wage. As of now , he had expended a sum of N65.3 billion on payment of monthly pensions. The backlog of gratuities that were considered a hard nut to crack in terms of payment, were being tackled head-on. He had paid a sum of N34.5 billion to defray outstanding gratuity, capturing 2012 to 2017 .
The opposition has no reason to cry hoax or raise eyebrow over the outcome of this election. It was long predicted that they would perform shabbily, because they decided to sleep off and even snoring for so long. Besides popularity, political structure is very important in determining the outcome of an election. The governor was smart enough to place the APC on a rocky pedestal before this election. The party’s nucleus was intact and firm. No serious discordant tunes and the ones that surged were quickly quenched, unlike the opposition that was in tatters and in persistent flame.
The major opposition PDP has a brilliant and well traveled medical doctor, Wole Oluyede, as its candidate. It is incontestible that Oluyede has a deep purse and mental sophistication to lead, but these are not sufficient for him to win. The PDP has a centre that cannot hold. The only oxygen of survival is Fayose and this life support had long been removed. The party only approached a major election gasping for breath. It was already asphyxiated. How could they have won with these cacophony of centrifugal forces ripping the party apart?
The ADC presented an old horse, Amb Dare Bejide as its candidate. Undisputably, Bejide is an experienced politician. A former Secretary to the State Government and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada. But his lean purse and weak platform were his greatest undoing. He approached the election having sparse and haphazard presence to challenge a more ebullient and well prepared Oyebanji.
Periscoping the foregoing political scenarios, one can’t but doff his hat for Oyebanji for etching his name in gold as a jinx and record breaker. Jinx in the sense that, pundits believed that for political heavyweights like Adebayo, Fayemi, Oni and Fayose to have failed in their bids to win back- to -back, that it will be herculean for anyone to break such record. But Oyebanji stunningly did.
The general perception today in Ekiti is that, Governor Oyebanji is now a record and jinx breaker, who has set a pace in the state’s political history for the future’s candidates to run after to beat, if possible.
Victor Ogunje, is the Special Assistant on Media to the Ekiti State Deputy Governor