By Muyiwa Adetiba
I am still trying to understand the loss of Dr Olukayode Fayemi in the gubernatorial election of Ekiti State and it is not because ‘I am involved’ by lineage. As a bystander, and as a professional journalist, I am involved and therefore curious.

If I was living in Ekiti State and not just and indigene in diaspora, I would have, on the face of things, voted for Fayemi. He is urbane, articulate and appears sincere and committed. These are traits that an average Ekiti man cherishes. He is also an ‘omoluabi’ in a vocation where that description can not fit many people. Fayose, his opponent on the other hand appears from his antecedents, the very opposite of these traits.

He had in the past, shot very rapidly from the hips, spraying missiles at the young and the old. And many elders still nurse the wounds from his past verbal missiles. He was a typical bull in the proverbial china shop and you wondered what Ekiti State did to deserve a governor like him.

So you can imagine my consternation that at his second coming, in an election which has been seen as relatively fair but not free, he became an overwhelming winner. I have scoured the pages of the newspapers since then in an attempt to understand what really happened in Ekiti State on June 21.

According to the papers, it appears at least from hindsight that Fayemi lost because of the following reasons: he was aloof and too intellectual for a politician. He cut and delayed the salaries of Civil Servants in a State that is full of retired and serving Civil Servants. His educational policy alienated some teachers. His self-serving commissioners and aides drove the wedge between him and his people deeper. His contractors were city –read Lagos-based Ekitis. Meanwhile, Fayose the smart one — hindsight again—demonstrated close affinity with, and empathy for the people. Empowerment for him is not for the future. It is a matter of the moment to be addressed through the provision of Okada cycles, grinders and boreholes etc. He also understood the politics of the stomach and dined regularly with the masses.

If these reasons turn out to be responsible for the loss of the incumbent, it is safe to say that Nigeria is not yet ready for the likes of Fayemi and Fashola. We are more at home it seems, with the Adedibu kind of politics where taking from Peter and dispensing to Paul is the norm — the amala and ewedu or in this case, the pounded yam and bush meat school of politics.

It is perhaps in character for Fayemi to concede defeat so quickly in an election that was so militarised but whose outcome seemed to reflect the wishes of the people. The acceptance speech of Fayose was also gracious and reconciliatory, if out of character with the Fayose of yore.* One hopes a new, improved Fayose is taking over the reins in October. One also hopes he will go beyond dispensing largess to truly improving the lives of the people in a meaningful way.

Many drinking bars would have been full that weekend and many gallons of alcoholic beverages would have gone down many stomachs by people who felt elated and those who stand to gain by the victory. After all, a new fish has entered the waters. Behold, the old has passed away….

But does the PDP deserve the chest thumping that is currently going on? Would it have won if another politician who does not understand the Adedibu brand of politics had been chosen? In other words, would PDP sans Fayose have won? Secondly, was the playing field truly, truly level as is being touted? Was it also necessary to shut down a peaceful State for almost three days in the name of security? One thing is certain; the security agencies that left the more troubled areas in the country to arrive in droves in Ekiti were not there to do Fayemi a favour. And the rumoured arrests and intimidation of his aides could not have helped his cause. The only cause it has helped is that of those who believe the Federal Government should not control all the security agencies especially the police. After all, we have seen the uses and abuses of security by the Federal Government. These agencies, according to reports, allowed certain ‘enablers’ to pass through while denying others. Would Fayemi have won otherwise? Probably not; but it would have been nice if the Federal Government had not bullied the State.

One celebratory image that sticks to my mind is that of Aso Rock where the President, his Vice, Party Chairman and senior officials decided to toast to their equation-changing victory. I am not against celebrations; especially if you have worked for it. In this instance, warm handshakes or even bear hugs would have sufficed given the state of the country. But to charge your glasses for drinks in front of one hundred and sixty million Nigerians, some of whom have not seen their daughters in over three months, is in my view, very distasteful and shows where their priority really lies. Many of those who watched the toast to power and electoral victory have had their lives permanently damaged by the security challenges in the country.

That toast in full glare of the public was ill advised. Whatever liquid was in those flutes might go well down their throats in the comfort of their Aso Rock fortress. It however leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many of us who are disgusted with the lust for power for the sake of it. In my book, power and responsibility must go together.