Daily Sun Readers Comments Re: Fayose, Fayemi and fate Let the wise hear and act wisely One religious literature that I read so many years back tells me that when things happen, they happen for good. So, I think the failure of gentleman John Kayode Fayemi’s bid for a second term in office will work out for good; not just for the All Progressives Congress (APC), if they will learn their lesson and put their house in order, but for the entire country. JFK’s re-election failure will work out for good because, as it is like the case of a man invited to slaughter a goat for another man, and in the course of carrying out the task the butcher cut a large chunk of the meat and put into his bag and left the remnant for the goat owner. Deluding himself that the goat owner was oblivious of what he did, the butcher neatly and nicely packaged the remnant of the meat and pretentiously presented it to the goat owner with the impression that he had done him a very good and commendable service and then asked the goat owner if he was satisfied with his service. The goat owner told him that it was only if he was invited again some other time to slaughter another goat for him that he will know that he was satisfied. Akin to the goat tale, Ekiti people have spoken through their votes And as they have spoken, Fayemi understood and gently and politely accepted the will of his people. He has showed what I termed The June 21 Example, which has not only become a watershed but a benchmark for future elections. My position is that as the election umpire seems to have conducted a credible governorship election in Ekiti State, let similar behaviour be adopted by INEC, candidates and their political parties in all future elections (governorship, legislative and presidential elections) in Nigeria because I have my doubts that long-suffering Nigerians will at the federal level opt for the continuation of same party and same inept and fledgling government that have woefully failed the country. Let the June 21 example be adopted in all future elections in Nigeria, in terms of free and fair conduct, faultless process, voting for the individual person and character and not party or any bandwagon (as in the case of Fayemi/Fayose), and in declaration of true/correct results of elections that are not tampered with, no matter who is concerned. We are watching. Let there be peace and no induced impeachment of any governor before the 2015 general elections. And let no one be deceived by the organized, fake and guided ‘solidarity’ visits by all manner of peoples and groups that government has done well. The people engaging in such ‘solidarity’ visits and praise singing have one thing in mind: collecting the financial handouts that will be given to them by the person being paid such fake ‘solidarity’ visits. Addendum: As I warned sometime in 2013, the APC should check the style of governance of their governors, if the party actually wants to be seriously in contention in future elections, since many Nigerians are looking up to it to provide the credible opposition and change to save the country from 15-16 years of bad governance since 1999. Let the wise hear and act wisely in time. •Abuchi Anueyiagu, Public Affairs Commentator/Veteran Journalist, 08080242128, “mail to:buchisbuchis@yahoo” What Fayose should do The article on how Fayose won and why Fayemi lost the election in Ekiti is another masterpiece. The strength of the poor, lowly, otherwise referred to as the masses, played prominent roles in Fayose’s triumph. The Holy Bible support this in Isaiah 26:5-6. “For He (God) brings down them that dwell on high, the lofty city he lays low, even to the ground, he brings it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.” The article showed the readiness of the poor to defend their stomachs, while the elites will hide their heads in period of danger so as to have peace to spend their fortunes. Having won the election, I hope Fayose will also recognize the power of the elites. He might have won on the goodwill of the masses, but he should remember that the masses also have disadvantage of being out- manoeuvred by the elites. May the Lord help Fayose take Ekiti to the next level. Destroying one’s predecessor through unnecessary probe is complete waste of time. Fayose should give the masses security, food, educate their children, and ask God for wisdom. Dr Olayinka Oladosu, yinkalola85@yahoo Paradox of democracy Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect – Mark Twain A collective ignorance of voting can undermine development, mar sustainability and annihilate progress. The people of Ekiti, in my opinion, may have voted for ‘insidious’ liberty rather than resolute and firm leadership. Fayemi may not be a man of the people but sure he is a man of integrity and he has done well. But if democracy is all about the will of the people (and it is), so be it. The people of Ekiti have spoken through the ballot and spoken audibly, but is their speech sound enough? The answer lies in the belly of time. Myke Nwagu, Ikeja, 08033148640. mykenwagu@yahoo Quite puzzling The Ekiti phenomenon would remain a puzzle for political scientists and pundits for some time. Fate, the hand of God, has a dominant role in the affairs of man as could be gleaned from the Fayose’s ‘sea-slide’ in the polls. Esoterics aside, there is more to the Fayose triumph. A clinical analysis of the entire result depicts an undercurrent of disdain of the platform of the incumbent and not his person. My heart goes out to Fayemi as a quintessential democrat for seeing through the labyrinth of contending forces and conceded defeat. Ikemba Obosima, awhide99@nokiamail Fayose’s great wife What happened in Ekiti was a miracle, and I praise INEC for a great outing this time. The security forces must also be commended. Fayose is blessed with a great wife that has entered into national reckoning as a prophetess. The axiom that power belongs to the people, was made manifest in this election. Political parties should use politicians in their parties, not businessmen and professionals that can’t differentiate between the corporate environment and the Nigerian people. All potential aspirants must be tutored very well before mounting the political platform. Great academic qualification is not needed in politics; leaders don’t work alone, they employ great minds as assistants. Therefore, the greatest qualification in politics all over the world is the milk of humanity and prudence, which entails the efficient management of people and resources in order to avoid wastages. May God Bless Fayemi for being a great man who did not in losing instigate his supporters to spill the blood of Ekiti people. His generation will never see terror. Rev. Monye J Gold, (Human rights crusader, the national coordinator Mass Movement for Responsible Leadership), masmovementnigeria@yahoo Power belongs to us Lessons to learn from this Ekiti election are meant for the entire Nigerian electorate and not for the political parties alone. We must prove, for whatever it is worth, that power belongs to us through the ballot box. We must consider the actions those we voted into power in the past took, ask ourselves if they improved on the basic amenities they met, security of lives and properties made better, and if general infrastructure and infrastructure of the stomach were provided. To the Almighty God, thank you and thank you again and again, may Nigeria as a whole, like Ekiti, remain in your wonderful hands, before, during and after elections. Johnny, Abia, royalhighchief@yahoo I disagree Your inherent conclusion on the strength of fate regarding the outcome of Ekiti election was quite poetic. I do not entirely subscribe to that. In the struggle between idealism and realism, the realists would always come on top, especially within the short run because most of us do not understand the importance of ideas, what more, the man of ideas. I suspect, Fayose’s ‘stomach infrastructure’ played a dominant role in this regard. But in the end, ideas rule the world. Ben, [email protected] Our politicians should learn Your piece on the above was both intellectual and spiritual, but my worry is the over militarization of the state before and during the election. Agreed it was necessary to provide security for the people, especially owing to the threats from everywhere before the election. But if over 30,000 security personnel can be drafted to provide security in an election in just one state, what happens if it were to be 30 states or more? Methinks our politicians should learn from Dr. Kayode Fayemi that aspiring to any political office should not be a do or die affair if indeed the reason for aspiring is service. Abdulwahid Amzat, a.amusa@yahoo Powers-that-be Congratulations to the winner, only if he would learn some lessons. An armada was not unleashed against him for nothing. After all, he was and still is an Ekiti son. But with all the odds standing against him, why was he fielded as a governorship candidate by his party? Was there no other person whose character was not smeared? Therefore, I attribute Fayose’s victory to the “powers-that-be who would re-write results conjured from God knows where,” just to prove a point – that PDP could capture the stronghold of APC, especially in the South West. Sam Umoh, Uyo, samuelumoh50@yahoo I am baffled What an interesting and great article you wrote. Yes,it appears that the people have spoken and have expressed their will through their votes, You need to be a man of the people to win elections. And like you have written many occassions, with many examples, incubents can be beaten if the people can be tenacious in their will, among some other factors. But these Nigerian elections seem to baffle me many times. It seems to defy many known universal electoral “ hypotheses, theories and laws”. Not doubting Fayose as a man of the people but i keep wondering why he lost the senate elections he contested under Labour Party just recently in April 2011. Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) of blessed memory was also a man of the people but lost gallantly in 2003 presidential elections, even in his “home” state. Seems Nigerian elections have a selective way of obeying and defying known universal electoral hypotheses ,theories and laws. Michael “drbiggie” Adeyemi, Lagos Re: Buhari and the terror war (3) He spoke rather lateI have observed with very keen interest that in all your write-ups concerning the former head of state, you have done so with extra emotional feelings for him. There is no doubt that that gentleman soldier has lately made very frantic efforts to condemn terrorism in all its ramifications, but that does not in any way wipe out the records of his utterances during the budding days of this insurgency called Boko Haram. Yes, the monster we failed to condemn publicly in its early days has now become an uncontrollable monster and nemesis to all of us. The former head of state may not have said at anytime that he will ensure that the country is made ungovernable for the present regime, but he failed to speak out in denial when some people alleged that he made such statement. There is an adage in my town which goes this way: the tortoise said openly that the day there will be a stampede in the market, that he was going to trample a pregnant woman to death. Lo and behold, the day there was a market stampede, the tortoise was not around but had gone to his farm instead. But then a pregnant woman died in that market stampede. Everyone in one voice said that the tortoise should be held responsible, as they had earlier heard him boast how he will trample a pregnant woman to death during a market stampede. Wilson Mba, mbawil4ever@yahoo No time for intolerance Buhari is not a religious fanatic as people are made to believe. In fact, his letter has done away with some traditionally held misconceptions about him. Many argue that he would not have written that letter had he not been prepared to join hands with the government to fight the war on terrorism. Moses Sunday Ajehson, moskolo5590@yahoo I’ll always vote for him I was happy when I read the write up about Buhari, that majority of Nigerians are now beginning to see the qualities people like me saw in this man that made me vote for him in 2003, 2007 and 2011,and I keep on saying it that I will vote for him as long as he makes himself available for election. He remains the best among all that are available for now. All these allegation of being behind the Boko Haram are the handiwork of his enemies. God bless Nigeria. Elder Joe Okereke, Lagos, 08034149507 Rejected stone Buhari is the stone that the builders (the Establishment) refuse (for fear of their ugly past and present) but which shall be the head corner stone. Buhari has got something they can never take away, and that is his honesty, courage, stainlessness and incorruptibility. Those traits have continued to keep the man ever relevant in Nigeria and he is more organized and fresher than his contemporaries who try in vain to remove their baggage. Barr. F.O.A. Nwanosike, President, Movement For The Survival Of Nigeria (MOSON) Only bigots What Buhari said has proven his stand again. Only misguided bigots say evil things about this gentleman without proof. The uninformed simpletons too continue to carry the misinformation of the bigots. Buhari has proven himself as against religious fundamentalism time and time again. As a loyal citizen, he enrolled in the army. He fought for Nigeria’s unity in the civil war. As NNPC chair and minister of petroleum, he directly/indirectly got three out of four refineries for Nigeria. As GOC 3 Div, he resisted an insult on Nigeria’s territorial integrity by Chad. As head of state, he faced a similar situation with the Maitatsine islamic sect but he took timely and decisive military action against them. As PTF chair, he left indelible marks that can’t be surpassed by NDDC, OMPADEC or Sure P, despite far lesser funds. He’s so trusted that even the Boko Haram sect testified they wanted him to be among those who negotiate with them (of course, he rightly rejected that as the government can use that as a trap to rubbish him). Now he’s spoken against Boko Haram. What else does he need to prove? His supporters hail him “mai gaskiya” (a man of integrity). All he needs is Nigeria’s support again on Lovers Day next year. I’m not holding briefs for Buhari but let me say the truth. Alex de Torcquoise once said; “a people get thr type of leadership they deserve.” Nigerians, it’s time to act right! Dr. Michael “dr.biggie” Adeyemi, Lagos
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 13:48:06 +0000
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