These are based on random sampling and opinions collected from the general populace.
SURVEYOR ABIODUN ALUKO
This aspirant is a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti, under the Honey Moon days of the Ayodele Fayose administration. He is fondly called Olu-Omo of Ikere Ekiti. Born on December 25, 1948 in Ikere, Ekiti South Senatorial District of the State. Obtained a Masters' Degree in Environmental Management, after a Bachelor in Geology and Applied Geophysics.
He was elected Chairman Ikere Local Government under the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1993, and also in 1996 under the United Peoples' Congress (UPC). He became the Deputy Governor in 2003 but was removed under some questionable circumstances in 2005. The impeachment was reversed by the State House of Assembly in 2010 and Court of Appeal, Ilorin in 2010. In 2009, he became member, governing Council Bayero University Kano and reappointment in 2012.
COMMENT
Surveyor Abiodun Aluko political dominance radiates around his Ikere local government, which he has governed twice under two different political parties. The other foray into state politics was as a deputy governor, a position which don't usually curry votes.
In our opinion, appointment as membership of governing council, while not cheap, does not always have to be on personal merit or as a result of in dept politicking rather than lobbying, almost following his appointment as a deputy governor. Aluko may have not actually been tested enough to display his political strength, weight and sagacity.
JEREMAIAH ADEBISI OMOYENI
Bisi Omoyemi as popularly called was born in 1958 in Ikere, Ekiti South Senatorial District of the State. He has a Bachelor of Science (1983) in Insurance and Masters in International Law (1991), and Banking and Finance (1993).
Omoyemi is a seasoned Banker, who started his career as an Insurance Broker but later moved to mainstream banking with the WEMA Bank in 1987 as Assistant Manager II. He got to the pinnacle of his career as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Wema Bank where he served between 2005 and 2008 when he retired after 21 years of service.
This is aside from numerous board and committee appointments. In October 2005, Bisi Omoyeni to his own personal surprise was appointed by Gov. Fayose as his deputy to succeed his kinsman Abiodun Aluko.
COMMENT
Bisi Omoyeni's laurels in banking may not find expression in politics. He caught his first political tooth, when he was appointed Deputy Governor, the position he occupied for two months and two days after which he quit to take appointment as Managing director of Wema Bank. This is a clear demonstration of his preference of the Board Room politics to the grassroots politics.
Some of his admirers says, Omoyeni left because he could not work with his boss, Ayodele Fayose. If this is true, then, his personal judgment may be called to question. Did he not know who he was going to work with and why. Some said, he mistook board room politics for grass roots politics. If this is true, when and where did he train for the current governorship aspiration? Beside the board room policies and politics under the air-conditioner; what experience has he in the mucky, dirty and hot air grassroots politics?
Reacting to his own appointment in October 2005 in his own words, Mr. Omoyeni said: "I was shocked. Politics is not a familiar terrain to me, I wanted a quiet life……." The big question now may be, at what time has politics become a familiar terrain to Bisi Omoyeni? Is he ready for a tumultuous life now different from the quiet life style he wanted in 2005? A guy who quit being a deputy governor two months after appointment maybe because of the rigors of the office, may not be ready for more strenuous and rigorous 24/7 job of a governor in 2014. Among his ardent supporters, Bisi Omoyeni is still seen as a gentleman too quiet, too aloof who still cherish a quiet life as he was in 2005. And indeed politics may still not be a familiar terrain for him.
RICHARD OLUFEMI BAMISILE
Femi Bamisile, BAFEM as he is popularly known and called was born September 27, 1965 at Kota, Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti South Senatorial District. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (2010), with a Master's in the same field in view.
Femi Bamisile started his political career at a cabinet level appointment as Special Adviser on IGR at the SuruLere Local Government in Lagos between 2001 and 2002. In 2003, Bafem relocated to Ekiti State, where his tenure in Lagos for two years paid off, as he was appointed as the Lagos Liaison Officer by the Ekiti State government. Bamisile was later appointed as the Acting Chairman of the Ekiti Sports Commission in 2006, In 2007, he bagged another executive appointment as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties before being elected to the Ekiti State House of Assembly in 2007.
He was later the same year elected by his peers as the Speaker of the Assembly. In spite of the fact that having a Hung Parliament was not only novel in Nigeria politics, but in this case made extremely difficult by the nature of the opposition that shared equal number of seats, alias 13 :13, Femi Bamisile made a huge success of his tenure by making the Assembly the most productive in the country. Femi Bamisile has never lost any election in his constituency and local government to the opposition. Today, the PDP has only two members of the 26 member House of Assembly, one of them comes from his constituency, Ekiti East Constituency II. A core, loyal and dynamic grassroots party man, he is currently the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Ekiti state. His sterling performance and loyalty to the party has endeared him to the party and fellow EXCO members.
COMMENT
As at last count, there about 32 PDP members in Ekiti state who wants to be the next governor of the State, But how many can pass through a thorough and objective test for a serious qualified and would be competent criteria necessary to pick a true flag bearer of the party like Bamisile? For more than ten years, Femi Bamisile has been resident in Ekiti contributing to political and economic development of the Ekiti thorough active political participation using the tools of elections and appointments.
Economically, also his Bafem Waters employs about 50 people and provide good table water to the people in sachets and bottles. He has served in the executive (Special Adviser) position, Legislative (member HA) position and in a quasi-judiciary position as Speaker of the House. Thereby touching the three arms of government.
In terms of party loyalty, dedication and commitment; in terms of likeability and electability, in terms of political relevance in actually winning elections for the party, and in terms of being a real and rugged fighter for a good course, Bamisile may not have a serious rival among the current crowd of aspirants. He has dealt with the opposition at close range position as Speaker of the 13:13 House and will be able to deal with the House as it is 24:2 in favor of the opposition as governor before the next election. In spite of the good credentials of this candidate, his chances might be reduced on the notion of lack of adequate qualifications since insinuations are going round that he possess only an SSCE coupled with the fact that he was impeached as Speaker of the house of assembly and his lack of financial muscle to pursue his ambition.
PRINCE DAYO ADEYEYE
Prince Dayo Adeyeye was born on April 4th 1957 to the late Oba David Opeyemi Adeyeye Agunsoye II, the Arinjale of Ise Ekiti; South Senatorial District of Ekiti. A seasoned political scientist, lawyer and journalist. His political experience spam many different political parties, associations and committees over the years. During this period, he was National Publicity
Secretary of Afenifere and Alliance for Democracy (AD) between 2001 and 2006. He was also a senatorial candidate for Ekiti south in 1999 and 2003 and Ekiti state Governorship aspirant for AD in 2007, which he lost at the primary and started his romance with PDP shortly after that. He has also worked in different fields and spheres; holding many positions in private and public sectors the height of which was his appointment as the Chairman of the Ekiti State SUBEB under the Government of Engr. Segun Oni between 2008 and 2010.
COMMENT
Prince Dayo Adeyeye, is a well-educated, politically, legally and is not wanting in the area of journalism. Outside his immediate constituency and local government, he is a political giant that can take his stand in the areas of political connectedness. His political, legal and journalistic educations cannot be wished away. Unfortunately, all these sterling qualities has not and could not been translated into political relevance or political correctness at the grassroots, especially his constituency and local government levels.
This has been his personal handicap politically as he has ran for two senatorial elections twice in 1999 and 2003 without success. In the same way as he could not make a success of intra party governorship aspiration in 2007. This is in spite of having served his political group for more than ten years. The problem with Dayo Adeyeye is that, he could not translate his political savviness into vote winning machine within his own people for some inexplicable reasons. This seems not to be the personal problem of the Prince, the opposition has a deep tap root in his local government, which is why winning elections for him has always be very problematic.
As a matter of fact, PDP has never won any election in his constituency and local government. Current insinuations even within his own party now is that being long time personal friend of former Governor Segun Oni, he (Dayo Adeyeye) may also be sympathetic to the Oni's perceived current romance with the APC, being his former political base, which might affect his chances within the PDP as a loyal and trusted member.
SENATOR GBENGA ALUKO
Senator Gbenga Daniel Aluko was born on July 20 1963 in Ode Ekiti; Ekiti South Senatorial District. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Regional Planning in 1982 from University of Benin with a Post Graduate studies in International Oil Trading from College of Energy and Petroleum studies, Oxford, UK. Between 1983 and 1999, he occupied various positions in the private and public sectors; among which was Special Assistant to the Minister of Transport and Aviation and then General Manager of Nigeria Shipper's Council. He was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1999. After leaving the Senate, he went back to his private business.
Politically, he decamped from PDP to ANPP after he took the leaders of the South West PDP to court. Senator Aluko later left ANPP for the Labour Party, under which platform, he unsuccessfully ran for governorship election in 2007. In 2009, he returned to the PDP in preparation for the current governorship aspiration.
COMMENT
Senator Gbenga Aluko instability in the PDP might be a great factor that will not allow the party leadership to consider him as a great option to represent them in the forthcoming polls, coupled with the fact that, he does not have a strong home base support and widespread acceptability in the state.
OMONIYI CALEB OLUBOLADE (Navy Captain Rtd)
He was born November 30 1954 at Ipoti, Ijero LGA in Central Senatorial District. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy in 1974, where he attended various military training and courses in UK and India. He was appointed Military Administrator to the newly created Bayelsa state by general Abacha. Olubolade retired from the Military in 1999. He joined the Action Congress where he lost his aspiration for the governorship election but later deflected to the PDP.
He was appointed by Governor Segun Oni as the Chairman Ekiti State Project Monitoring Committee in 2008. He was later appointed Minister of Special Duties by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan and later Minister of Police Affairs, the post he is still comfortable enjoys till today. Politically, Olubolade has not been relevant in Ekiti state even as a federal Minister. In 2011, the PDP under his leadership lost a bye-election in Moba Local government constituency I. He again lost another bye-election for a Federal Constituency I in 2012
COMMENT
Captain Olubolade came into political limelight when he decided to contest for the 2007 governorship election under ACN which he lost at the primaries before decamping with a host of others to the PDP and was lucky enough to get an appointment under the Segun Oni regime, he has never won a single election and does not have the structure and support of his people to win a governorship election, therefore his chances of getting the PDP ticket is very slim to say the least.
Even as a sitting federal minister and the party leader in the state, the party lost two bye-elections under his watch, one for the state house of assembly and the other for the federal house of representatives, one of which he was barely able to win his own polling unit by 4 votes and lost his ward, this shows the caliber of man he is from the home front, should the party decide to pick this man, I smell failure for the party.
DR AYODELE FAYOSE
Ayo Fayose was born November 13, 1960. He grew up in Ibadan and attended Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo. He later attended The Polytechnic Ibadan, where he obtained his OND and HND. Nothing much of him is known until he came to political lime light in Ekiti for the 2003 Governorship election under the platform of PDP, which he won. After his impeachment, he pitched his political tent with the ANPP.
After an unsuccessful romance, he formed an alliance with the ACN in 2009 during the Ekiti state re-run governorship election. Faayose campaigned throughout the state with Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the ACN's candidate. Fayose's political flirting took him also to the Labor Party where he contested for the central senatorial district in 2011 and lost. It was after this he returned to the PDP, which he left in 2007 for the purpose of running for the governorship election again.
COMMENT
Ayo Fayose is a man who has been entrenched in one controversy or the other all his life, he came into limelight towards the tail end of 2002 when he decided to contest for governor under the platform of the PDP, he defeated the AD then and it was immediately after his victory at the polls his problem started, starting with the issue of certificate forgery to the issue of been a fraudster, his government was marred with lot of issues and controversy, after his impeachment, this man went to ANPP from where he romanced with the ACN to wage war against the PDP government of Egnr Segun Oni and said lot of things against this same party he is coming to contest under.
Now this is a man that has committed political fornication against his party and still wants the same party to put him forward as their candidate, am certain that there are lots of people within the party ranks who have still not forgiven him for his act of treason against the party and I don't expect that to work well for the party should they decide to put him up as there candidate baring it in mind that he still has a corruption case hanging on his neck which the EFCC are prosecuting him for and his next appearance in court is on march 6, 2014 which he is seriously trying to avoid at all cost. The PDP needs a loyal, grass root politician and someone of impeccable character and integrity to win the election, I don't think Fayose fits in well into this.
From Ekiti Decides
A non-partisan group giving updates on the coming Election in Ekiti State.
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