Across the 36 states of the Federation, there are ten states but one to watch when the 2023 general elections hold. Next year, Ekiti State in the Southwest would be going to the polls to elect Governor Kayode Fayemi’s successor. Apart from Ekiti, however, other states where governors are in their final term would be having brand new state chief executives come 2023. The states include Akwa Ibom, Cross River; Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina; Rivers and Taraba.
Although records show that some beneficiaries of outgoing governors’ endorsement or imposition ultimately fell out with their benefactors, there is nothing to show that the practice of governors anointing a preferred candidate as successor would cease despite the clamour against godfathering. Ayodele Peter Fayose began that journey to successful repeat poll in 2014, when he defeated Fayemi in what was sold as 16-0. Although pundits blamed Fayemi’s loss on his perceived elitist leadership style, the fact that he congratulated Fayose, despite reservations about the incidence of federal might in the election, endeared him to Nigerians, particularly Ekiti people.
Similar scenario seems to be playing out in Ekiti State. Governor Fayemi did not entertain any possibility that former governor Oni should be supported for the APC ticket in 2022. Perhaps, in a bid to avoid that hurdle, Oni switched camp back to PDP, where Senator Olujimi is bidding her time to contest the governorship.
At the tail end of his second term, Akpabio danced to the temperament of the people, which favours persons outside the political class and introduced Udom Emmanuel. Being a successful banker, Emmanuel was easily accepted by the people leading to his landslide victory in 2015. Although the 2019 APC governorship candidate in the state, Nsima Ekere, seems to be out of the picture due to the zoning format in Akwa Ibom, the current Secretary of the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planing Committee , Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, who slugged it out with Akpabio in 2011, is said to be interested in making a second attempt.
Would the magic budget governor outwit his predecessors through the instrumentality of federal might or bow to their superior political skills? 2023 would be either a payoff or payback for Ayade. Although there are small talks that the governor might support current Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru, there are other well heeled stalwarts in APC, including the 2015 governorship candidate of the party, Senator Julius Ali Ucha, former and current SSG, Prof. Bernard Odoh and Kenneth Ugbala, that are also associated with the 2023 governorship.
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