My Defeat Not Due To 'Stomach Infrastructure' – Fayemi
More than three weeks after the governorship election held in Ekiti State, Western Nigeria, the incumbent governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has debunked claims that he lost the election because of what political analysts have tagged ‘stomach infrastructure’.
According to a report published on PMNEWS on Friday, 18 July, 2014, Governor Fayemi made this statement at the 70th birthday lecture and book presentation in honour of Professor Olatunji Dare held in Lagos on Thursday.
The governor described those making the above claims as “arm chair analysts.”
“Forget about what you read in the papers, it is not stomach infrastructure,” Fayemi said in reference to the outcome of the Ekiti state governorship polls.
It could be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared former governor of Ekiti state, Mr Ayo Fayose as the winner of the governorship election held on 21 June, 2014 in Ekiti State.
According to INEC, Fayose, a candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, defeated Fayemi, who contested the election on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, in all the local government areas in Ekiti.
After the announcement of the result of the Ekiti State elections, many political analysts has blamed the defeat of Governor Fayemi on the refusal of APC to share bags of rice, kegs of groundnut oil and others material things to the people of Ekiti before the polls.
Prior to the conduct of the governorship elections, there were reports where PDP stalwarts in Ekiti were handing out foodstuffs to the electorates.
A tactic that analysts have tagged ‘stomach infrastructure’ as against social infrastructural the APC claimed they are more interested in.
However, Ekiti state governor elect, Fayose had since claimed that he won the governor elections because he is more familiar with the grassroots people of Ekiti.
Fayose added that if the election is re conducted 20 times that he would still top the incumbent governor in all the local councils.
Meanwhile, speaking at the book launch, Fayemi explained that he decided to attend the event himself and purchase copies of the book because “maybe it will redeem my image of what people say we are. Forget what you read from the arm chair analysts, there is nothing called stomach infrastructure in Ekiti. That story will be told another day, not for this occasion.”
He also noted that he did not come to the function with a retinue of policemen and personal aides because of his belief as an intellectual in the public space.
* Governor Fayemi
“So when the chairman [General T.Y Danjuma] said I came in quietly and sat down, what else was I supposed to do? To create distraction by walking in with gun-toting policemen, with sirens blaring and all the goons disturbing the peace of the hall? That way, I will be the people’s governor.
“I do worry about that because the lecture we just had and the festschrift talks about public intellectuals and the place of public intellectuals in public sphere.”
It is, however, not clear if the governor never used sirens or never had a retinue of aides following him about at functions in the past.
The governor also said he experiments this principle by documenting his experiences in governance since assuming office in Ekiti State.
“As someone who, at the turn of every year that I have been in office, I have cause to write a book about my experience in government and the challenges of governance, that is why I regard Professor Dare as one of the very best in the industry. And that is why I’m here. That’s my first public event since June 21st (the day of the Ekiti election).
“I didn’t want to send someone here. Though my Commissioner for Information is here, I prefer to be here myself. I will like to buy some copies, maybe it will redeem my image of what people say we are in Ekiti.”
Source: Legit.ng
