A member of the Ekiti State House of Assemby and an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, has said the encomiums showered on Governor Kayode Fayemi by his counterpart from Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, for exhibiting superlative performance has further boosted the chances of APC in the 2022 governorship election.
Aribasoye said for Tambuwal, a leading member of the People’s Democratic Party, to have scored Fayemi high in terms of performance and demonstration of political will further corroborated the fact that the governor is gradually taking Ekiti out of the woods.
The lawmaker was reacting to a statement by the PDP in the state knocking Fayemi for non-performance and poor governance.
Also, contrary to insinuation and widespread belief that Governor Fayemi was scared of direct primary in the APC for the 2022 governorship primary, the parliamentarian maintained that the governor remains the most popular politician within the ruling party.
Aribasoye, representing Ikole Constituency 2, said whoever the Governor and other stakeholders found capable and competent of being supported among the governorship aspirants would win the primary under a free, fair and credible contest, with or without direct mode.
Members of the Southwest Agenda for Tinubu 2023 presidential ambition (SWAGA) had repeatedly taunted the governor and described him as being threatened by fear of application of direct primary to conduct Ekiti APC primary.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, Aribasoye commended Tambuwal for eschewing party politics and exhibited statesmanship on his views on how Ekiti was being governed.
“You all heard how the Sokoto State Governor praised Fayemi while commissioning the Aramoko-Erinjiyan road on Friday. He was full of praises for the performing governor.
“Governor Tambuwal even told Nigerians to always divorce themselves from partisan interest and align with leaders who are doing good like Fayemi.
“This is a morale booster to all Ekiti men and women of goodwill and will go a long way in buoying the chances of our party, because Governor Tambuwal is not someone that speaks recklessly or surrender so easily to flippancy or inanity.”
Addressing the issue of direct primary, the human rights activist, posited that with delegate or direct primary, the aspirant backed by Governor Fayemi and other critical stakeholders of the party would record a resounding and landslide victory in the primary.
The former students’ leader added that such accusation has become rhetoric in the politics of APC in Ekiti, saying such card was played prior to 2018 primary with Fayemi, who was a late entrant winning and flied the party’s flag for the July 14, 2018 governorship election.
Aribasoye described those making such derisive and demeaning comment as political Lilliputians, who muster no popularity and influence Fayemi savours in Ekiti APC, as well as State and national politics.
The lawmaker said: “We have heard many of this in the past, especially in 2018, but Governor Fayemi won the primary with wide margin and went ahead to cap it up with victory at the general poll.
“As APC stands today in Ekiti, Governor Fayemi in and outside of government remains the most influential, popular and respected politician in the party. He had been demonstrating that since 2007, 2009 rerun and 2018 polls. The records are there for skeptics to check.
“So, direct or indirect system, Governor Fayemi has no reason to tremble. He is firmly and solidly on ground and always at home with all APC members, including SWAGA and other tendencies”.