Ekiti 2022: Political Parties Should Concede Gov Candidates To South — Olanipekun
A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun, has expressed displeasure that the zone had been relegated to the background in the state’s convoluted political equations despite its humongous electoral weight in terms of population, the calibre of political actors and number of local government areas.
He regretted that the district which was reputed for being an anchorage of giants in all spheres of endeavours has become a laughing stock in the politics of Ekiti and victim of political chicaneries since the beginning of the state’s democratic journey.
Olanipekun who was visibly embittered by the development pointed fingers at some prominent politicians in the South who he called “midgets” for betraying the zone’s cause to mount the governorship seat in exchange for “political tokenism.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria spoke at the weekend in Ikere-Ekiti, headquarters of Ikere local government area of Ekiti State during the Christmas carol and nine lessons by Newcruse FM, a radio station established by him.
Olanipekun stated that fairness, equity and justice demanded the plum position should be the turn of Ekiti South in the next political dispensation, adding that the marginalisation must stop to foster the indivisibility and homogeneity of the state.
According to him, “I am a lawyer and I thank God for what He has done for me but assuming Olusegun Obasanjo did not become the president for two-term of eight years how would we, the South-West feel? Look at what happened in 1999, when the two leading parties yielded the tickets to Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae both from the South-West.
“To me, whether you are APC, PDP, APGA or YPP they should say this time around the Ekiti South should produce the next governor come June 18, 2022. You see I hate cheating and God doesn’t even like it. When you look at your Bible after the people of God entered the promised land and Moses was trying to share the land, he started with all the tribes.
“So, what are we talking about the power shift to the South come 2023 if we can’t practice what we are agitating against right from our home. We must not allow Ekiti state to become a state of landlord and tenant that some people are tenants and others landlords. Everyone is equal.”
Olanipekun who argued that the political leaders of southern extractions were the architects of their political misfortunes accused the leaders of being too timid to speak out for the zone in its quest to produce the governor.
He called on Ekiti South political leaders irrespective of party affinity to close rank and work together to actualise the zone’s cause, adding that the age-long jinx can only be broken with unity of purpose and togetherness.
