Ekiti Federal Constituency 2: Why We Need To Get It Right, by Taiye Osatuyi
Editor's note: Taiye Osatuyi, in this piece, argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) must get it right as regards to Ekiti Federal Constituency 2 if it wants to emerge victorious in the 2023 general elections
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The House of Representatives primaries for Ekiti Federal Constituncy 2 may have come to an end but the events that followed especially the show of shame displayed by member representing Ekiti Federal Constituency 2 at the House of Representatives, Hon. Omowunmi Ogunlola, and aspirant for the same seat, Dele Philips, over their inability to emerge as the APC flag bearer ahead of the 2023 general elections has again proved why party members, stakeholders and constituents need to get it right at the polls.
Dele Philips, who contested the seat alongside Hon. Omowunmi Ogunlola had brought thugs to disrupt a process with the aim to truncate the will of the people. While he may be forgiven as a first time aspirant who is desperate to clinch the ticket, the immoral and dishonorable display of Hon. Omowunmi Ogunlola who has benefited twice from the same party structure cannot however be forgiven.
Source: UGC
As a concerned constituents who is keen on seeing a qualified and competent candidate emerge from the just concluded primaries, I do not see the duo of Omowunmi Ogunlola and Dele Philips matching those qualities. Already, Dele Philips got it wrong by assuming that bribing delegates, recruiting thugs and disrupting a political exercise will get him the ticket. This is where he dropped the ball.
Politics is part of democracy and democracy is for the people and by the people. The era of imposition, using guns and violence to achieve selfish aim is completely vanished in our constituency. Delegates, party supporters and stakeholders will continue to resist it with their last drop of blood.
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Perhaps, we may need to take Dele Philips on a crash course on the history of power sharing across the Constituencies and the three Senatorial Districts in Ekiti State. For the record, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele contested the primaries unopposed because the party hierarchy did not want the Governorship candidate to come from the same Federal Constituency. In the interest of justice, equity and fairness, other equally qualified aspirants for the Senatorial ticket from Federal Constituency-2 were prevailed upon to withdraw from the race so that the Senatorial slot can remain in Constituency 1 since the Governorship candidate is from Constituency 2.
Constituency-2 is made up of three local government areas - Ijero, Ekiti West and Efon. These three LGAs have the Governorship and House of Representatives slot to share amongst themselves. Ekiti West has already produced the APC Governorship candidate. Just like the Senate ticket has been ceded to Constituency-1, the House of Representatives slot for constituency-2 is naturally expected to exclude Ekiti West. Philips was however prevailed upon by the party hierarchy to withdraw from the race so that Ekiti west alone would not produce both the Governor and the House of Representatives slot. He ignored the counsel and plea of the party leaders and attempted to hijack the process.
The same party hierarchy which consists of men and women of proven integrity and who have served the party in sweat and blood that he ignored are now being called names because they didn’t allow him to bulldoze his way through.
Omowunmi’s case is more pathetic! Since her loss, she has been castigating the same party that handed her the ticket to serve as Honorable member in the State House of Assembly in 2011 and then at the Federal House of Representatives in 2019.
One would recall that this same Omowunmi was accused of having a sexual escapades with the then Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin. This prompted Omowunmi Ogunlola's husband, Mr. Tunde Ogunlola to petition the House of Assembly, accusing Dr Omirin of sleeping with his wife.
Omowunmi’s act of immorality allegedly knows no bound. Party members and even we the constituents have always expressed our concern worry over her representation of our Constituency as it spells doom for the people as a whole.
The outcome of the primaries has shown that the people, party and constituents can do without these duo. All that is left is for us all to support the most popular candidate who is now the flag bearer of the APC ahead of the 2023 elections. The choice before us, as electorates, is to look beyond the past, and rally round behind a character of substance, proven credentials, competence, conviction, compassion and commitment to national unity.
Ever since, I have been praying for a representative with a credible profile, well respected with vast network both at state and national level of the party. A representative that won’t be an ordinary floor member but a potential House leadership member.
I think the day has come and all indigenes of Ijero/Ekiti West/Efon should come out to defend this day. I urge Hon Ogunlola and Phillips to embrace peace and accept the will of the good people of Ekiti Federal Constituency 2. We deserve a better representation.
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