Ekiti 2026: Why opposition parties remain in disarray

In modern democracies, the opposition parties are just as important as the ruling party in the delivery of democratic dividends, accountability, and creating options in future elections. But in Ekiti State that erstwhile housed vibrant rivalry, the opposition parties have either closed shop or cheerleading the ruling party to a reelection, AYODELE AFOLABI reports.

The governorship elections of Ekiti State have always been one of the most contested in Nigeria since the return of democratic rule in 1999.

The contest in Ekiti State has always been tough such that none of the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) that have held sway since 1999 could lay claim to being a dominant party. The rivalry between the ruling APC has been severe that in 1999, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), which later transformed to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later APC, produced Niyi Adebayo, who was ousted by Ayo Fayose of the PDP in 2003. Segun Oni’s administration of the PDP was shortlived as he was replaced by Kayode Fayemi of APC through court order.

Fayose of the PDP launched a comeback to power in the 2014 gubernatorial poll when he defeated incumbent governor, Fayemi. Four years later, Fayemi also defeated candidate of the then ruling PDP, Professor Kolapo Eleka, to return power to APC. However in 2022, PDP could not stage a comeback neither did the party prove the strength of major opposition in the June 18 gubernatorial contest.

Outcome of the poll indicated that the APC scored 187,057 votes to defeat its closest rival, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which garnered 82,211 votes, while the PDP got 67,457 votes.

In the last two and half years, the opposition parties in Ekiti appear to have lost their steam such that Oni and Fayose, who represent the voices of opposition parties have tactically endorsed the incumbent governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, for re-election in 2026.

While Oni on his part announced his exit from politics after his failure to use the SDP to claim victory in 2022, he had allegedly endorsed Governor Oyebanji for re-election, with Fayose allegedly toeing the same path a few months back.

Except for 2022, SDP has never shown its strength in Ekiti politics since 1999. The party is merely a product of protest emanating from the alleged shoddy conduct of the PDP’s governorship primary election held on January 26, 2022.

Oni, who is one of the aspirants, felt shortchanged and defected to SDP along with his supporters to contest the election. In fact, his deputy governorship candidate, Ladi Owolabi, was a notable APC member. On the other hand several chieftains of the PDP, who are aggrieved with the ex-governor Fayose’s style of leadership, jumped ship on February 5, 2022 with Oni to SDP. Following this movement, there was an upset when the 2022 governorship poll result was announced as SDP came second.

Although this performance was not carried into the 2023 presidential election since the SDP candidate didn’t put up impressive showing with the APC candidate winning the majority vote, followed by the PDP candidate. Fast forward, in the state Assembly election, the SDP won two seats out of 26, while the APC won the remaining 24, leaving PDP with nothing.

However, against expectation that Oni would sustain the tempo to nurture the party for the future, members of his SDP including his running mate have since left for APC. Sources say that even though Oni has a soft spot for Governor Biodun Oyebanji, he would have loved to return to the PDP but for the Fayose influence, which still looms large in the party.

Another political party, the Action Democratic Party (ADP), led by Kemi Elebute-Halle, who was the governorship candidate in the 2022 governorship election, came fourth behind the PDP. However, she and her supporters officially decamped to the APC in October 2024. She left the ADP with all the state executive members of the party!

Other political parties like All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP) have no visible structure in the state.

They are best described as seasonal parties that surface whenever the governorship election is around and then fizzle out immediately after the contest.

After years of festering crisis and political brinkmanship, the hope that the Ekiti PDP will embrace the caretaker committee set up to run the affairs of the party and consolidate ahead of the 2026 governorship election may have been dashed.

After a series of failed attempts to resolve the unprecedented internal crisis by the national leadership of PDP and the state chapter due to various court cases, the latest efforts perceived by many political watchers as last resort at mending the tattered umbrella appear to be heading south.

The NWC of the party sets up a caretaker committee after the expiration of the Alaba Agboola-led executive tenure at the end of August this year. Prior to the time, there was an attempt by the national leadership to conduct congresses in July 2024 in Ekiti, which was met with stiff opposition from a group loyal to Fayose. The ex-governor loyalists proceeded to the court to secure an injunction to stop the congresses.

Faced with this situation, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP postponed the scheduled ward, local government and state congresses of the party. The National Organising Secretary, Mr Umar Bature, conveyed the postponement in a letter addressed to the state chairman and dated July 25, 2024.

He revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been notified of the development, adding that a new date for the congresses would soon be communicated.

The letter reads, “This is to officially inform you that the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its 589th meeting held on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, after extensive deliberation, approved the postponement of the scheduled congresses in Ekiti State till a later date.

“To this effect, the INEC has been duly notified of this postponement.  A new date will be communicated to you once it is fixed. What this means invariably is that congress in Ekiti State will no longer hold as earlier scheduled. Therefore, the NWC waited until the expiration of the state exco on August 31, 2024 and set up a caretaker committee.”

The  PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement said a 20-member committee would oversee the party’s activities in Ekiti State for up to 90 days (three months) or until a new executive committee is elected.

He further hinted that the party had appointed Chief Dare Adeleke and Olatunji Ayofe as chairman and secretary of the Ekiti State chapter caretaker committee, respectively with other members.

But as anticipated, the Fayose group under the auspices of Osoko Political Assembly (OPA), rushed to the court to challenge the legality of the caretaker committee as soon as it realised that the composition of the committee did not favour the group. A chieftain of the party disclosed that the group filed about four cases challenging the party.

While fighting the legality of the caretaker committee,  Fayose, who is the leader of OPA, continued to openly endorse and on many occasions campaign for Governor Oyebanji of the ruling APC for a second term.

The move was considered by the caretaker committee, as well as several leaders of the PDP as not only anti-party activity, but foreclosing the chance of PDP to present a candidate for the 2026 governorship poll.

Fayose and his group were also accused of working against the PDP during the 2023 presidential election, when they openly endorsed President Bola Tinubu of the APC as against the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Despite pending court cases, stakeholders within the party have not ceased hostilities. For instance, the former chairman of the PDP in Ekiti, Gboyega Oguntuase, gave insight into why Fayose has not been expelled from the party for anti-party activities. He said there are so many things that the PDP takes more seriously than the conduct of Fayose.

“What is important to us is that we must strategise on winning elections without him because he has said he will not be for us. That is more important than rushing to his ward to get him suspended or expelled,” he said.

Oguntuase added: “Fayose has been open in demonstrating that he is not a loyal PDP member. He has been kind enough to manifestly show that he will undo the party in the next governorship election.”

In his remark while meeting the party stakeholders recently, Chairman Caretaker Committee, Adeleke, stated that the party is recommending the expulsion of Fayose due to his alleged anti-party actions, stressing that the former governor’s actions have undermined the party’s interests, leading to the proposal for his expulsion.

He also explained that the recommendation for Fayose’s expulsion had been submitted to the Chief Tom Ikimi-led PDP disciplinary committee for further action.

However, in a one paragraph letter signed by Oguntuase, who chairs the state disciplinary committee and addressed to Fayose, dated November 13, 2024, which was sighted by The Guardian, the state chapter of the party appeared to have backtracked on the planned disciplinary action against the ex-governor.

The terse letter reads: “We hope this message finds your Excellency well; we hereby formally withdraw the disciplinary committee letter previously sent to your Excellency, thank you for your understanding.”

Reacting to the development via a phone call, Oguntuase explained that anybody who thinks a withdrawal of notice is a withdrawal of allegation is simply illiterate, stressing that a notice served could be withdrawn without prejudice to the allegations.

“The allegations against Fayose are intact and will be prosecuted. We were able to identify that no matter how strong and compelling our judgment might be, he would escape technically because we lack jurisdiction to try a member of NEC. The entire exercise will amount to wasted effort,” he stated.

Speaking on the recommendation for expulsion recently, Fayose said he was not bothered, adding that Adeleke lacked such power to recommend him for expulsion.

Speaking through his aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor dismissed the activities of the caretaker chairman, saying “we will soon know between him (Adeleke) and Fayose who owns the politics of Ekiti.”

“Does he (Adeleke) have that kind of power? No, he does not. His position as CTC chairman is being challenged in court. I am aware of three or four court cases saying he ought not to be CTC chairman. If your authority to operate is being challenged, where will you have such power to say you are recommending someone for expulsion?

“He is just like that. He makes noise. We are not bothered. He can continue, he should go to Abuja to suspend Fayose. I am aware of various utterances of the person who is parading himself as the CTC chairman. In the last meeting they held, he said that he had removed Fayose from the party and the party is now free from him,” Olayinka posited.

But members loyal to Fayose insisted that the caretaker committee was illegal. The Osoko Political Assembly, said there was a state working committee that was legally elected and was dissolved to put in the caretaker, adding that the caretaker committee emergence is illegal and we are not part of the caretaker arrangement.

Asked why Fayose and other members of their group are fraternising with the APC-led government, the group said only an enemy of progress would say that Governor Oyebanji is not doing well. The group maintained that the peaceful atmosphere Ekiti is enjoying is due to the wisdom of the incumbent and that when good governance is experienced such personality should be praised.

Reacting to the alleged claim that the caretaker committee is an illegal body, the spokesperson for the committee, Jackson Adebayo, dismissed the group as bad losers, saying that they would face reality at the fullness of time.