Nigeria‘s President Goodluck Jonathan and his embattled ruling party have wrested a key state from the opposition ahead of general polls next year, results showed Sunday.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Peter Ayodele Fayose was elected governor in southwestern Ekiti state, beating the incumbent John Kayode Fayemi by a two-to-one margin, the electoral commission said.
The PDP — never out of power nationally since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 — lost Ekiti to the All Progressives Congress (APC) four years ago and until Saturday controlled none of the six southwestern states.
The victory will boost the party’s chances in elections next February by creating a possible foothold in the southwest region.
But nationally, the party still faces an uphill battle after several defections of influential state governors, mostly from the north, last year that prompted dozens of PDP lawmakers to switch to the APC.
The defections were caused in part by Jonathan’s expected bid for re-election in defiance of an unwritten PDP rule calling for the presidency to rotate between Christian southerners and northern Muslims.
The head of state, under fire for his handling of the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency and especially his response to the mass kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in April, has not officially declared his intention to run.
But the rebel governors are convinced that he will.
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Laugh wan kill me self! Why he no go be true democrat when he was roundly defeated even in his Local government and ward. I prophesy that he will join PDP Asabradakahamasokaha!
ReplyDeleteThis is the beginning of the dismantling of Tinubu's political hegemony and iron grip on politics in the South-West.This is good for the zone! The zone is one of the most politically informed and vibrant zone and to succumb to the politics of one man show in this 21st century is very retrogressive.Thump Up
ReplyDeleteWhether defection or not it is their performance that will determine whether they will retain the power at centre by 2015.
ReplyDelete