Keen followers of politics in Nigeria know that when elections are around the corner, a lot of intrigues and drama begin to take place. Political parties throw banter at one another and trading of criticisms get stronger. All of these are expected.

However, one thing that is not expected is the abuse and deliberate desecration of a constitutional position. You cannot withdraw the aides of the Speaker of the House of Representatives (No 4 Citizen of the nation) all because he cross-carpeted and expect calm to reign. If you have an issue with the way he cross-carpeted, deal with it in the normal way. Take him to court. But do not make a mess of the Office of the Speaker. It is sacrilegious!

Must we always wash our dirty linen in the open? Cant we play politics maturely? That Office is not about Hon. Tambuwal, it is about Nigeria. Do not repeat Amechi’s saga at the National level. Not only will posterity judge you, we will judge you at the polling booths.

I have heard some quarters said President Jonathan has performed and done well in the last four years considering the facts on ground. I have also heard some quarters condemning him that he has been the worst President Nigeria ever had. We all have our different opinions and we are entitled to our opinions.

But may I ask you friends, what is your own view of President G.E.J? Does he deserve a second term?

Is the creation of 18 New States our priority? If 36 Governors haven’t been able to effectively utilise and show result for the monthly allocation, how would 54 Governors be able to do it?

Ekiti Gubernatorial has come and gone. Though the victor and vanquished have emerged, political pundits are still wondering what went wrong for the incumbent governor. It is not even now and then you see an incumbent losing to another.
Picking the lessons in this election is therefore necessary for both aspiring politicians and sitting politicians. Here are a few lessons to be learnt.
One, the electorate do not necessarily like a reformer. Especially when it is an electorate that is largely uninformed, the populist will always have his way over the reformer. The electorate in Ekiti spoke clearly that they are not interested in the beautiful reforms of Gov. Fayemi. They would rather follow Fayose.
Two, a leader can only succeed to the extent to which he is able to strike a balance between his vision and the desires of the followership. No matter how beautiful the leader’s vision is, if the followership feels that its interest will be jeopardize, such leadership will meet with frustration. Fayemi dared the status quo, constructed new roads, challenged the old teachers to upgrade their qualifications, but the people of Ekiti felt he wasn’t taken care of their own interest and they voted him out.
Three, no matter how good you are or how successful you have become as a leader, don’t take your followers for granted. Reach out to them by every means possible. They can make or break you. Billboard campaign can only take you far. House to house campaign always endears the leader to the people. Get involved in the grunt work.
Four, our democracy is still a young one. In another clime and under a different democratic dispensation, Fayemi would have won a second term. In matured democracy, politics of ideology always win over ‘Amala politics ‘. But this is not necessarily so in a growing democracy like ours. You must mix your ideology with some Amala. ‘A little to the people and a little to the party’ is more like it.
Five, don’t rely on the strength of your political party. People sometimes vote for the personality and not the party. Other times too, people vote for the party regardless of the personality. Jonathan won last Presidential election based on personal appeal built up from the ‘boy with no shoe’ story. He didn’t win because he belonged to PDP.
Finally, to the people of Ekiti, I wish you the best as you await the inauguration of the second coming of Fayose. I pray your decision augurs well for your State.