By ADEOLA BABAJIDE

As the countdown begins towards the June 20, 2026, governorship election, an unfamiliar atmosphere hangs over Ekiti State. For anyone steeped in our political history, the current landscape presents a striking paradox.

Historically, the “Fountain of Knowledge” has been an intellectually volatile, fiercely combative, and highly unpredictable electoral theatre – a space where contests are traditionally treated as high-stakes warfare. Yet, with the critical ballot just weeks away, the expected pre-election storm has not arrived. Instead, the political terrain is remarkably settled, prompting observers to note that the Fountain of Knowledge has, for now, become “The Quiet Fountain.”

This absence of traditional pre-election friction is far from an indication of grassroots apathy or voter fatigue. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate political consensus engineered by the current administration. The socio-political machinery has undergone a fundamental shift, moving away from raw, adversarial confrontation towards predictable stability. To understand this transition is to appreciate the timeless wisdom of the Yoruba, who long observed: “Kòòkò jẹ́ẹ́ jẹ́ẹ́ níí mú nǹkan rẹ̀ dọ́wọ́” (It is with gentle, quiet calculation that the silent operator secures his territory).

The quietude defining Ado-Ekiti and its surrounding hills is not an accident of history; it is a calculated peace. At the center of this unusual calm is the political strategy of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO). Since assuming office, his administration has systematically dismantled the traditional machinery of Ekiti’s elite-heavy opposition, rewriting the playbook of incumbency.

Historically, Ekiti governors managed their tenures through perpetual warfare – battling hostile labour unions, contending with striking civil servants, and dodging the political arrows of aggrieved local heavyweights. BAO, however, opted for deliberate reconciliation, deploying an inclusive, non-adversarial approach that has neutralized potential points of friction before they could ignite.

The evidence of this harmony is clear across the state’s socio-political spectrum. Critical pressure groups that traditionally formed the vanguard of anti-incumbency resistance – most notably the Trade Union Congress (TUC), public health workers, and local artisan guilds – have moved from a posture of confrontation to formal alignment. Traditional rulers and community elders have been systematically integrated into the governance framework. By addressing longstanding public sector welfare liabilities and practicing a style of politics that avoids public friction, the administration has left opposition platforms fragmented and lacking a compelling counter-narrative.

“Bí omọdé bá m’ọwọ́ wẹ̀, á bá àgbà jẹun” (If a youth knows how to wash his hands properly, he will dine with the elders). By approaching the state’s historically critical and highly demanding elite structure with institutional respect and tactical inclusion, Oyebanji has earned an unprecedented level of calm. Through the recent signing of the comprehensive Peace Accord alongside eleven other political contenders, the administration has leveraged the moral authority of the state’s elder statesmen, ensuring that the run-up to the June 20 polls remains exceptionally tranquil.

This structural calm serves a distinct electoral objective: the ambition to definitively shatter the historic Ekiti “continuity jinx.” Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the Ekiti electorate has established a reputation for political volatility, consistently refusing to grant back-to-back, straight-line tenures to a single administration. The political pendulum has traditionally swung wildly between competing forces, driven by an independent-minded and highly literate populace.

Ahead of the June polls, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has set an aggressive target: mobilizing a minimum of 500,000 votes across the state’s 2,445 polling units. This target is designed not just to secure victory, but to deliver a definitive statement of total political consolidation.

From an analytical standpoint, this leaves the independent commentator with a critical question: Is this impending landslide a pure democratic validation of first-term performance, or is it the inevitable result of an asymmetric playing field where alternative platforms have failed to mount a cohesive challenge? The administration’s preference for soft-power pacification over aggressive coercion has made the approaching historic shift look almost effortless.

It is precisely at this point of total consolidation that the discerning analyst must look past the immediate horizon of Election Day. A quiet election that culminates in an overwhelming landslide creates an entirely new socio-political reality. While a landslide victory is a major political achievement, it simultaneously introduces a significant governance challenge. In public administration, an absolute mandate removes the structural shields that office holders traditionally rely on to justify developmental delays.

A democracy devoid of robust internal friction faces unique vulnerabilities. When the fountain is entirely quiet, and opposition structures are muted or co-opted, the informal checks and balances that preserve administrative accountability naturally weaken. For a highly educated, analytical population like Ekiti’s, the expectations attached to a second term will double. With the “continuity jinx” broken and the excuse of political survival removed, the incoming administration will face immediate, unmitigated pressure to deliver profound, structural development.

“Ẹni tí a bá fún ní púpọ̀, lọ́wọ́ rẹ̀ ni a ti ń retí púpọ̀” (To whom much is given, much is expected). An overwhelming electoral victory cannot merely be celebrated as a partisan triumph; it must be understood as an immense administrative obligation. A 500,000-vote mandate represents an expansive fabric. Consequently, the populace will expect nothing less than a masterpiece of infrastructural growth, fiscal sustainability, and economic modernization.

Looked at closely, “Ekiti: The Quiet Fountain” must not be misconstrued as a description of a static pool. It is, instead, a reservoir building up significant structural pressure for the dispensation that begins after June 20. The impending election is merely the prologue; the real test of this governance model begins on the morning after the victory.

Throughout the ongoing campaigns, the administration has consistently emphasized its alignment with the federal centre, urging the Ekiti electorate to deliver a historic turnout as a strategic response to critical central interventions, such as the major federal-state road rehabilitations. Yet, once the ballot boxes are put away, the core challenge of sub-national survival remains.

Ekiti must ultimately transcend its historical limitations as a primary civil service state. The true measure of the BAO phenomenon will not be found in the quietness with which he secured the 2026 ballot, but in how effectively that absolute peace is leveraged to build a self-reliant, knowledge-driven, and agriculturally sustainable economy for the generations to come.

•Dr. Babajide is from Omuo-Ekiti.

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