By Femi AWOJOBI.
There is a proverb that haunts the corridors of power: "When flies eat away at a madman, nobody complains. It is only when the madman eats the flies in revenge that eyebrows are raised.”
In Ekiti today, the 'flies' of systemic injustice are biting hard, but the victims are finally waking up. As the 2026 political sentiment begins to bake the bread of the 2027 general elections, the status quo is shaking.
The legal storm is already gathering. While the PDP’s Dr. Wole Oluyede has secured a Court of Appeal nod for INEC recognition, the APC is suffocating under the weight of its own legitimacy crisis. Between the suspicious removal of names from the party register and the disqualification of aspirants before the primaries, Governor Biodun Oyebanji may dismiss these cases as 'futile', but the litigants are banking on a judiciary that refuses to be bullied.
But let’s talk about the real tragedy which is the festival of misplaced priorities. At a time when President Tinubu’s administration is pumping abundant resources into the states, many of our 'distinguished' Representatives are delivering nothing but narcoleptic performances.
Look no further than Senator Cyril Fasuyi. In a move that defines 'monumental failure', the Senator recently gifted a car to a serving Commissioner, a woman already enjoying a consolidated salary and the perks of office, while the masses starve. This isn’t 'teaching a man to fish', it is a desperate, illogical 'scratch-my-back' gangster arrangement. It is an insult to the electorate.
These lawmakers, the likes of Senators Cyril Fasuyi, Yemi Adaramodu, and Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB respectfully, , alongside House of Reps. Members like Femi Bamisile (BAFEM), Sola Fatoba, Rufus Ojuawo, Biodun Omoleye, Akin Rotimi, and Akinlayo Kolawole, have become nothing more than glorified personal assistants to their colleagues. Some are directionless, others are merely 'merriment' specialists at public functions, yet they have the audacity to eye second and third terms.
Where is the stewardship? The public domain says Senators pocket an average of ₦2 Billion quarterly (₦8 Billion annually) in constituency allowances. House members take home ₦1 Billion quarterly (₦4 Billion annually). Where are the bills? Where are the projects? For most, their performance is not just below average, it is inept and puerile!
In Ekiti North, the disparity is a wound that won’t heal. For 24 out of the last 28 years, Federal Constituency II (Moba, Ido/Osi, Ilejemeje) has monopolised the Senate seat. Constituency I (Oye and Ikole) had only four years under Senator Ayo Arise (2007-2011). Yet, in those four years, Arise’s matchless performance, including the facilitation of FUOYE, outshines 3 other Senators combined together ..
The clock is ticking. With the new amended electoral law signed by President Tinubu on February 18, 2026, the primaries are less than two months away. The era of dozing in the Green and Red Chambers must end. 2027 is not just an election; it is a rescue mission. Ekiti deserves leaders who drive development, not egocentric 'back-scratchers' who trade the future of the masses for political favors.
The time to choose is now. The 'madman' is tired of the flies.
Femi Awojobi,
Senior Journalist, Public Affairs Analyst & Strategic Communications Expert writes from Ado Ekiti
08037643696 | [email protected]
No comments