chapter 15

My posting by TVC from Ondo State Governor's Office to Ekiti State Governor's Office in 2011 meant coming back to familiar terrain where  I first reported for duty on the 11th of September, 1998 as the BSES reporter attached to the pioneer Military Administrator of the state, Lt Col. Mohammed Bawa. In fact, I can say with all modesty that I have covered the seat of power in Ekiti State more than any journalist who ever worked in the Fountain of Knowledge.

My journey to and fro Ekiti State Governor's Office began with Col Bawa. When General Sanni Abacha died, Bawa was deployed to Gombe State but I continued to report the activities of his successor, Navy Captain Musibau Atanda Yusuf. Otunba Niyi Adebayo was elected Governor in 1999 and I was posted out to Ekiti State House of Assembly only to return to the Governor's Office in 2003 with Governor Ayodele Fayose and remained there when his tenure ended abruptly in October 2006 to work briefly with his successor, the Sole Administrator, Brigadier General Adetunji Olurin rtd until January 2007. 

As TVC Correspondent in Ekiti State, I belonged to a league of reporters who were given some preferential treatment in the corridor of power. Others in this group were reporters representing. Channels television, AIT and to a lesser degree, NTA, Silverbird television and Murhi International MiTv.

Working under Governor Kayode Fayemi was another kettle of fish compared to my experience under the four previous Chief Executives I had reported. Let me cite one or two peculiarities of JKF as the Governor. The practice of arrangement of the fleet of vehicles in the Governor's motorcade or convoy is that, the Press vehicle follows the Pilot or the lead vehicle but Fayemi would not tolerate that. He sent the Press vehicle back to a position far behind the Governor's vehicle. This arrangement did not augur well with photographers and cameramen who often missed some arrival formalities of the Governor. 

Another uniqueness of Governor Fayemi was that reporters found it rather difficult to relax with him whenever there were assignments inside his office. Usually, reporters are always ready to be in a lighter mood with Mr Governor as soon as their assignment inside his office is concluded. But with Fayemi, immediately his visitors left, Mr Governor would turn to his laptop or phone and his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Oyebode would say, "Gentlemen" and gestured towards the door.

When the tenure of Governor Fayemi was gradually winding done and campaign had kicked off for his second term bid, his media handlers organised an informal Evening Out for him to meet with all Ekiti based journalists including press officers of the Ministry of Information. The Get Together took place at the Lady Jibowu Hall and Mr Governor arrived at about 11 pm.

It was a night, we had plenty to wine and dine with the prospect of an envelope. Then, time for speeches, comments and remarks by journalists and not the other way round because the real motive of the occasion was that the government wanted to hear what the masses were saying about the government.

The NUJ Chairman set the ball rolling followed by the chairmen of the chapels. All the others who spoke eulogised the performance of the Fayemi administration and scored it a pass mark. When it was the turn of the Electronic Chapel, I spoke as the Acting Chairman beginning by adopting the approval rating given to the administration. I continued by saying that my colleagues were probably not saying what the government really wanted to hear which is what the masses are saying about the Fayemi administration. I added that I traveled to Lagos every month end by commercial vehicles to the headquarters of my company and that discussions in the buses were most times not in favour of the state government. I went on to call attention to the time of Governor Adebayo who political pundits believed would win his second term bid but did not. I suggested that the government should conduct a survey to unravel why Adebayo failed to secure a re-election, for a proper understanding of the Ekiti electorate.

I hardly landed when Mr Yemi Adaramodu, the Chief of Staff to the Governor took the microphone to paint a scenario of the massive support base of the All Progressives Congress APC, ruling party in the state. According to him, the APC had just concluded a membership registration exercise and gave the figure recorded and that all of them must vote for their party. Adaramodu also gave the figure of the aged who were on the payroll of government under the Social Security programme - owo arúgbó who had no choice other than vote Governor Fayemi for a second term in office. He cited some other data in favour of the ruling party and concluded that the coming election would be won by a landslide by Fayemi.

Against the optimism of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Former Governor Ayo Fayose of the People's Democratic Party PDP, won the June 21, 2014, Ekiti Governorship Election by polling a total of 203,090 votes, incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi of the APC, came second with 120,433 votes while the candidate of the Labour Party LP, Opeyemi Bamidele, received 18,135 votes for the third position.

By winning the highest number of votes in all the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, Fayose after his inauguration always taunt his opponents with a 16 - 0 slogan.