The recent governorship election in Ekiti will no doubt remain a subject of interest for a long time to come. Although it was generally perceived as free and fair, it was indeed not free from fear. As the people say, the devil is in the details. Granted, there were no reports of violence on the Election Day, and the incumbent Governor Fayemi has congratulated Governor-elect Fayose, reasons for winning or losing elections are never clear-cut. There are at least three major reasons for the dimension of the electoral outcomes of that fateful Saturday.
One, the governor is seen as an elite politician, who is far removed from the ‘ordinary people’ of Ekiti. No doubt, Governor Fayemi’s education, experience and exposure far outweighed that of his opponent but, the governor, it is said, lacks street credibility. Unlike Mr. Fayose, Dr Fayemi is an urbane, refined and grammar-speaking gentleman. Unlike Mr. Fayose, Dr Fayemi is hardly seen on the street; he seldom attends social parties, especially owambe type. Although the street credibility hitherto espoused by Mr. Fayose as governor in three years was largely populist, the masses, including the street traders and roadside mechanics understand him better than they do Dr Fayemi. But populism could be tricky; nobody truly knows the mind of a populist politician. Yet, even the most theoretical political scientist would judge a man by what he says and does, since the psychology of the politician is as hard to read as the psychology of the people that follows him. Yet, the question begs for answer as to why the very populist Fayose could not win the senatorial seat when he contested on the platform of the Labour Party in 2011. Continue reading “Ekiti Election: Street Credibility, Elitism and all that, by Dr. Tunde Oseni”
