From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti

Ahead of the 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State, zoning is beginning to dominate discourse in political circles in the state.

The zoning palaver which is becoming more intense on a daily basis started when Ekiti South Senatorial District declared that it was being short-changed, demanding for a shot at the governorship seat come next year

The state has three senatorial  districts; Ekiti Central, Ekiti North and Ekiti South.  Since the return to civil rule in 1999, Ekiti Central and Ekiti North have been producing the governors, leaving out the Southern district.

Though, the quest by the South to produce the governor has been on for sometime now, the agitation seems to have become deafening in recent times with repeated clamour for the district to produce the governor in 2022.

For over two decades, Ekiti is one of the states in the Southwest that have been oscillating between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). From that time, four eminent personalities from the other two districts have occupied the exalted seat, they are : former governors Niyi Adebayo from Ekiti Central, Ayodele Fayose from the Central, Segun Oni from the North and Kayode Fayemi also from the North. Fayose occupied the position for two terms and Fayemi, the incumbent governor, is serving his second term.

The toing and froing of the seat of power between the two districts over the years have, therefore, informed the ear-splitting agitations from the Southern district, calling for a change in the narrative.

The agitation is not targeted at any political party, but the dominant parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Ekiti State has 16 local government areas of which the Ekiti South Senatorial District has six local government areas, they are : Ekiti Southwest, Ikere, Ise/Orun, Emure, Gbonyin and Ekiti East, while the other two senatorial districts, Ekiti Central and Ekiti North, have five local government areas each.

Geographically, Ekiti South has the largest land mass among the three senatorial districts, with 64 wards out of the 177 wards in the state, leaving the other two senatorial districts with 113 wards. These are some of the comparative advantages the zone has over other zones.

Since the agitation started, major stakeholders, those in Ekiti South Agenda (a group fighting for an end to the marginalisation of the zone), like Sen. Biodun Olujimi, the PDP Senator representing Ekiti South in the Senate and others from the zone had at various fora restated that political powers should not be rotated between the two zones only, but that the zoning of the ticket for next election must go to the Southern Senatorial district.

Amid the rising agitations from the senatorial district, some critical stakeholders, including some from the South and the two other districts have lent their voices vehemently opposing the demand of the southerners, arguing that Ekiti is predominantly a homogenous state, in language, customs and ways of life and that politics should not divide the people.

They stressed that the homogeneity the state is known for should be allowed to continue and the new coined word ‘zoning’ was not constitutional, noting that all the zones in the state have always been given a level playing ground to contest.

Hon. Segun Akinwumi,  a three-term Commissioner in Ekiti State, from Ilejemeje Local Government, Ekiti North Senatorial District said : “Ekiti State is a constituency for the governorship contest. Our history, and indeed Nigerian constitution affirm this.

“Right from the inception of the state, governorship contest has been open contest to members from the three senatorial districts in the free political space. There was no time a senatorial district is separately considered to present a governor for the state rather it always evolved through keen competition among the contestants at each election year in the state.

“So the hues and rows over clamour to zone our collective wealth by a particular zone is lazily selfish and self-serving and cannot gel or work out.”

Expressing his views, Hon. Makanjuola Ogundipe, a former Ekiti PDP state chairman and

former PDP Southwest chairman, from Ikole Local Government, Ekiti North Senatorial District said: “Every agenda is personal, the Southern agenda is personal to the South. It is my opinion that the Southern people have the right to agitate, their arguments must be cogent and convincing, not at all sentimental.

“Since the beginning of democracy in Ekiti, we (political parties) have not come together and zone the position of governorship or whatever position to a particular zone and since we started, the South has always been in contention.

“There is no zone that will concede, the South always contrasting. It must be earned like any other zone.

“If Ekiti can be united and queue behind a single candidate, with all political parties in tandem, then we can begin to see a brighter chance, for the agenda.”

Lending his thoughts, Hon. Jinadu Olaoluwa, a former PDP Chairman, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government, Ekiti Central Senatorial District, explained that : “ Since the beginning of this current political dispensation, there was no time we did not have aspirants from all the senatorial districts, including the present, and there was no time any of the aspirants was disqualified based on the zones they come from.

“Close to 30 per cent of the total votes from Ekiti come from Ado LG, next is Ikere LG.

“Ikere LG, Gbonyin LG, Emure LG, Ekiti East LG, Ise/Orun LG and Ekiti South West LG make up the South Senatorial District and the total votes that will come from this zone is less than 30 per cent despite the number of the local governments at the zone.

“However, my advice for the party that is not in government at any level now, and wishes to seize power from the incumbent, is to pick a credible candidate from where they can get votes, not minding the zone or town.

“Ikere LG is the most populated local government in the South Senatorial District, but they were never united because of different communities that form Ikere, all of them are distinct units from different sources, norms, values, and ideologies, talk less of other local governments at the senatorial district.”

In his submission, Dr Bayo Arowolaju Sr., a former Special Adviser to Ekiti State Governor on Due Process (2007 – 2010) and Pioneering DG. Bureau of Public Procurement, Ekiti State Government (2009 – 2010), from Ekiti East Local Government, Ekiti South Senatorial District, said : “It is the fundamental and political right of Ekiti South Senatorial District to want their son or daughter as an elected governor of Ekiti State, as much as any man or woman of the state has the same right to the governorship aspiration in Ekiti State.

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“However, to my knowledge, no governorship election has been conducted in Ekiti State to the exclusion of any senatorial district in the state.  Simply, it has always been made open to all comers within the state. This has created a human problem, which has remained insurmountable till today. And that is not having a consensus in picking one aspirant. There is no time it doesn’t have more than one aspirants representing the district.

“Their chances are as good as having one aspirant whose character, antecedents, message and money will make him or her acceptable more than others in all the three senatorial districts.

“But, I don’t see anybody from the district coming on board now using the platform of zoning in a way that they expect all others to bury their aspirations.

Democracy and our constitution do not allow that. They have made everything competitive.”

However, some stakeholders within and outside the district have expressed concerns for the zone, advocating for a balance in the political equation.

Engr. Babatunde Fakoyede, former commissioner for Agric, Works and Transport, Ondo and Ekiti states, from Ikere Local Government, Ekiti South Senatorial District, noted that though, zoning was not part of the constitution, but fairness and equity are factors that should be considered.

“The people of the Southern senatorial zone are more than qualified to vie for the governorship post come next year.

“Apart from having the highest number of local governments, the zone has never produced a governor since 1999.

“We people of the zone strongly believe that our governor,  Dr. Kayode Fayemi and our leader, Otunba Niyi Adebayo being  highly fair-minded and just leaders will support our aspiration.

“It is a fact that zoning is not in our constitution, but fairness and equity demand that our position is given fair consideration.

“After all, we are clamouring that the president should come from the South come 2023. Is it in our constitution?

“However, the southern zone should put their house in order and don’t believe the concession will come on a platter of gold.”

Otunba Ladi Owolabi, an aspirant to the House of Representatives in 2018, from Ado Local Government, Ekiti Central Senatorial District, also hinged his position on equity.

His words : “Well, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Ekiti parades eggheads in her sons and daughters to the extent that anyone of them who throws his or her hats to the ring and so chosen by the generality of Ekiti people is eminently qualified to rule the state, in other words, there is no dearth of quality men, be it in South, Central and North of the state.

“Be that as it may and going by opening remarks, equity demands that the South should be allowed a shot at Ekiti seat of power to avoid unnecessary effects of our political arrangements.”

There are some notable personalities from the South who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), they include:

Hon. Femi Bamisile, who hails from Kota Ekiti in Ekiti East LG is former Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly and now lawmaker representing Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2 (Gbonyin, Emure and Ekiti East) in the House of Representatives. Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Hon. Yemi Adaramodu, who hails from Ilawe Ekiti in Ekiti Southwest LG is former LG Chairman, former Chief of Staff to the Governor (JKF 1) and now lawmaker representing Ekiti South Federal Constituency 1 (Ekiti Southwest, Ikere and Ise/Orun). He is currently the Chairman, House Committee on Youth Development.

Funminiyi Afuye who hails from Ikere Ekiti in Ikere LG is former Minority Leader, former Majority Leader, Ekiti State House of Assembly, former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, former Commissioner for Regional Integration and Intergovernmental Affairs and now Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who hails from Ise Ekiti in Ise/Orun LG is former SUBEB Chairman; former AD National Publicity Secretary, former Minister of State for Works, former Publicity Secretary, PDP National Caretaker Committee, he came second at the PDP governorship primary in 2018, and was Senator for Ekiti South between June and October, 2019.

Prof. Bolaji Aluko, who hails from Ode Ekiti in Gbonyin LG is former Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State; now Special Adviser/Director General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD) and Coordinator, Ekiti COVID-19 Response Task Force.

Mr. Muyiwa Ogunmilade, who hails from Ijan Ekiti in Gbonyin LG is former banker, Branch Manager, Regional Manager in National bank, Gulf Bank, Oceanic Bank, Managing Director, Oceanic Bank in The Gambia, former Managing Director, Ekiti State Signage Agency, former Managing Director, Ikogosi Warm Spring Limited and currently the Executive Chairman, Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service.

Also, some notable personalities from the South who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) include:

Senator Biodun Olujimi, she hails from Omuo Ekiti in Ekiti East LG; former House of Representatives member for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 2; former Deputy Governor, Ekiti State; former member, UNILORIN Governing Council, former Senate Minority Whip, former Senate Minority Leader and currently the PDP Senator representing Ekiti South in the Senate.

Prof. Kolapo Olusola hails from Ikere Ekiti in Ikere LG; immediate past Deputy Governor (during Fayose second Administration).

Rt. Hon. Tunji Odeyemi hails from Ode Ekiti in Gbonyin LG; former Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly; former Acting Governor (three months after Engr Segun Oni’s election was nullified by Appeal Court), former Chairman, Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission.

Mr. Kayode Adaramodu hails from Ilawe Ekiti in Ekiti Southwest LG, former Deputy Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).