EKITI GUBER RACE 2014: THE COLLECTIVE RESCUE MISSION IS A MARATHON, NOT SLAP DASH

By Bimbo Daramola, member representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1, Ekiti State. Ever since the unfortunate incident of penultimate Thursday, I have been inundated with calls from my constituents, colleagues, friends and associates both the political and apolitical, from within and outside of Ekiti and indeed Nigeria. This seems to confirm what I have said variously at different times that if the unfolding scenario continues on this path, nobody will be able to keep quiet for too long, no sitting on the fence for anybody who has the least association and relevance politically in and with Ekiti. No middle ground, simply because in the days ahead, what will be at stake will be the soul and future of Ekiti and her peace-loving but highly discerning 3million people at home and diaspora. At such a time have we come. This confirmation is coming unexpectedly too soon after that statement of mine. Silence will not be golden, it won’t be an option, neither will sitting on the fence. The immutable words of Francis Fanon will come alive again that “those who keep quiet when occasions demand that they speak up are either cowards or conspirators”, I am neither, so in the days ahead there will be need to react to developments as appropriate, but for now one is following developments very keenly as a critical stakeholder who also in my humble modest way had been a part of the life threatening struggle to get to this point. I can distil the enquiries I am inundated with into these three: the first is what is going on in Ekiti? Going by the reportage of the incident, one could feel like a full blown war erupted in Ekiti. The second category is the question I found very instructive, what happened to the collective rescue mission (the spirit of the struggle) that brought the incumbent Governor into power? Is the mission over? Has the rescue mission been concluded in three and a half years? Another set asked me if Honourable Michael Opeyemi Bamidele does not have the right to aspire and indeed contest? Another asked if Governor Fayemi is now despotic and intolerant as he is being potrayed on the internet? Some asked me if we are in a stage of political log jam?! Let me use this medium to thank all those who called, sent sms, bbms and reached me on facebook for comments and answers to these questions. I apologise again for not replying immediately, and I crave your indulgence to still reserve my comments for now as we try to situate unfolding developments in the appropriate context till the fullness of time. So you will forgive me if my response here do not do justice to your expectations, let me make these clarifications as the justification for this write up, which may not be the full reply to your enquiries. I am convinced that all my colleagues from Ekiti in the House of Representatives, our “egbons” in the senate and brothers and sisters in the House of Assembly, etc. surely are also inundated in the same manner. I am feeling uncomfortable with my initial approach not to say anything. I feel it may be disrespectful if I just ignore your genuine enquiries, particularly for those who were there for us from the days of the struggle, and some who are still with us, even now. This response comes to say, I respect you all. But for now, please take this response for what it is, for now, as we watch how events unfold. In the days ahead, be assured that yours truly will speak up on a range of issues but certainly align with the best interest of corporate Ekiti ultimately, trust me. With the assumption that the questions above have been asked in the interest and well-being of Ekiti state and our dear people, I here provide my responses, as I best and as briefly as I can, for now. I hope that, in the days ahead, I will provide an in-depth overview and my opinion. Firstly, I am aware of the letter addressed to the Governor and by extension the entire public about Hon MOB’s desire to formally announce his intention to contest the election into the office of the Governor of Ekiti State come 2014 and that he would want to announce that intention on the altar of his organization called BIBIIRE COALITION that penultimate Thursday. The developments before, during and after that event have been so well reported. The accounts of the police, Hon MOB’s camp and the Government of Ekiti are in the public domain. They need no rehash here. This should answer the question about whether the Governor has transmuted to a despot or not. For the people who know this Governor and I sure do a little bit, having known him as my senior in secondary school, way back to 1978. Dr Fayemi is the least inclined person to leverage on sheer brute force of state. Indeed not a few people, particularly our party people, feel that he is too “gentlemanly” in his ever conciliatory approach to issues. I recall on one occasion when a former Governor and his supporters were boasting about how their principal used power (Indeed, Ekitis cannot forget those giddy days). It took yours truly to remind them that the former users of power in this context of brute force did not leave government house with a jot of such powers , but Dr Fayemi is of different stock. Check out the field day all kinds of characters seeking his job are having today. That wouldn’t have happened in our recent past. We all know this as a matter of fact. Secondly, what has become of the “collective rescue mission”, when indeed Hon Bamidele was a part of that struggle? Well, to me, the mission is bigger than one individual and that is why it was titled “collective”, so it will be difficult to rationalize that the mission is dead because an individual, no matter his roles could threaten a mission that has to do with the present and future of Ekiti. The mission is still very alive and vibrant , only moved to another phase, and this phase still fits into the broad spectrum of the mission. Thirdly, is Hon Bamidele entitled to his ambition? Well, I think so. Is he entitled to give expression to that ambition just like anybody else? By all means, Yes. But that is just as Ekitis also have their inalienable obligation to ensure that the vision on which the collective mission is anchored is protected. That is even more important now that the people have begun to see the tangible impact and undeniable dividends that can be attributed to the promises of that mission. They can now see results being delivered and they can connect with it. Is Ekiti at war? I can say safely that we are not! And we do not intend to lead ourselves in that direction for any reason, because of any one. But one thing I do know about Ekiti is that Ekiti will stand by person{s} who is/are in alignment with their corporate will and aspiration, especially where such is tangible and verifiable. Ekitis will stand with anybody who can advance and protect our corporate well-being and interests. We have done that before. We did that for a cumulative period of six years, not letting up, in spite of all the arsenals lined against us. By sheer grit of resolve and resilience, we overcame. Thank God, that whole effort has not been wasted as the past three years of the present administration has evidently showed. This remains incontrovertibly a part of the Ekiti DNA. THEREFORE, STRONG REASONS, TANGIBLE AND VERIFIABLE IMPACT REMAIN THE UNIMPEACHABLE BASIS ON WHICH EKITIS WILL MAKE THE CHOICE OF WHO SITS IN OKE BAREKE FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, NOT BUZZ WORDS OR FLIGHTS OF FANCY. Is there a political logjam in Ekiti? Where? Well, to the best of my knowledge, none that I know of. Everyone knows the ruling party in Ekiti. The party was, until lately, Action Congress of Nigeria, the party that produced the incumbent Governor, three senators, six members of the House of Representatives, twenty-two House of Assembly members, among other political structures, and nothing has changed, except Hon. MOB who has indicated HIS inalienable interest to contest the position of Governor in 2014. Apart from him, every part of the whole team remains intact. It is true that with the consumation of the merger into APC, the party has emerged better and bigger. The formal launch of the APC was done about three weeks ago, an event broadcast on national television {AIT}. It was undeniably very successful, it had the chairmen of defunct CPC and ANPP alongside their counterpart from ACN in active presence and participation. Yes, the new party may have interim officers but the political structures and tiers that berthed the political positions from the Governor through the National assembly and State assembly members are not interim, neither the holders, ninety five percent of these people berthed by the then action congress of Nigeria. Instructively, all these political position holders, members and supporters of the then ACN across all political levels from wards through local governments , constituencies, senatorial districts of the state had openly adopted the incumbent Governor to run for the second term, on the basis of verifiable and justifiable reasons. Indeed, the Chairman of the defunct ACN , His Excellency, Baba Bisi Akande and our respected leader, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had endorsed him and openly aligned with this popular position as canvassed by members of the party at a special leaders meeting in Ado Ekiti on the 25th of July 2013. In fact, non-political people, different interest groups, etc. have also freely followed suit and adopted the incumbent Governor openly. It is difficult for me to now understand postulations that our transmutation to APC will vitiate or obliterate these PROVEN developments and these existing realities that predates the formation of the APC. Neither will the widely reported ambition of my brother, Hon MOB, who as at today is still flying the banner of the ACN turned APC on behalf of the good people of Ekiti Central 2 at the National assembly IMPLY POLITICAL LOGJAM. The historical records of Ekiti people does not include frivolity. So, to the best of my knowledge, there is no political logjam. I am convinced that we cannot forget who we are as a people, where we are coming from, where we are and how we got here. The vision is still clear, the mission very well defined, and the efforts must remain collective, buoyed by the evidence of a break from our wasted past, the gory details of our immediate past and the resolve that the unsavoury spectacle should be confined to the dark pages of our history book as Ekiti people. Ekiti is steadily and surely on the recovery part. That is only way to go and that is forward. We surely have turned a new chapter, filled with pages of development from Iyin through Ado, to Ikere, Ise, Ire, Erijiyan, etc. To me therefore, the collective rescue mission remains alive, it remains a marathon and not a slap dash. The baton must remain within steady grip. I hope I have showed my respect with the remarks here, as against ignoring your questions and enquiries. Thank you all for your concern for us and our dear state. God bless you all.