by Michael Orodare

Sir, as a close observer from Akure in Ondo state, which is just an hour drive from Ado-Ekiti the capital city of Ekiti state, I know these are not very good times for your camp.

You’ve been struggling and fighting a very tough battle with the outgoing APC-led government in the state.

A fact You Must know is that it is not easy to let go power like that and off course, all the congratulatory message from Fayemi’s camp was a pure PR strategy to redeem an already tainted image of the party you dealt a terribly blow at the June 20th gubernatorial poll.

The battle started with the creation of local council development Areas (LCDAs) barely two months to the expiration of the outgoing Fayemi government. You stood firmly against this, which many see as a booby trap for your incoming government.

Why the noise raised by the controversial LCDAs had barely rested, the media was awash last week with news of disruption of a court sitting by thugs perceived to be loyal to you.  As if that was not enough, some days later, we were told you slapped a Judge.

Of course no right thinking person would have believed that you truly slapped a judge as many of us knew it was just another propaganda from the series being served us by the outgoing APC government.

Although the attorney-general of the state had debunked this, it was after the damage had been done and the story passed all test for the magic bullet theory of the mass media.

I am young and not as experienced as you are, but take my word and bind it on the tablet of your heart, perhaps it might be useful someday.

When you won the PDP primary to fly the party flag in the Ekiti guber poll, I told friends that Fayose must be ready to fight the media battle of his life with the PDP ticket he just won. But do you really need to fight this battle, I guess No!

In the history of democracy from 1999, nobody nor party has ever won a media battle against the AC, ACN, APC and in whatever form they come in because they have always had the monopoly of victory in media battle.

From the new media, to the print and broadcast media, they have a very formidable arsenal of propagandists and attack dogs, who are ready to run You down like Adolf Hilter’s Men overran the World then.

So why waste your time and resources on a battle that You can rarely win even if it was an eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth and Not even when you have worked with them and known their antics.

They are just detractors, whose aim is to drag you out into the mud, rubbish you and your government, and toss you around in the media.

Unfortunately, whether they are right or wrong, the world will queue behind them because they are the ‘saints’, who everyone believe can never perpetrate evil.

You cannot afford to fail the electorates this time and prove your critics wrong that Your Second Coming will be of success to the people.

I will advise you take some cue from Governor Olusegun Mimiko, CON. Get his manual, template or whatever it is he used to successfully deal with ACN turned APC and its cohorts. I recommend him because he managed them successfully.

I have also come to the understanding that length of days nor certificates does not make a successful leader. Mimiko is not a Ph.D holder yet. But before, during and after the Ondo 2012 guber poll, there was no record of political assassination in Ondo state. Same cannot be said about Ekiti. It has been season of killings and who knows who’s next?

Despite the campaign of calumny and the media onslaught unleashed against Mimiko even in his home town, they still went home SAFELY which is very unusual in Nigeria’s political setting.

I could vividly recollect how Asiwaju stood on the podium at the ACN final rally 5-days before the Ondo governorship election, at the Democracy Park in Akure, and quoted copiously from the Bible to CURSE Mimiko, and two days later, at the grand finale of his rally at the same venue, Mimiko who he had all the opportunities to reply Tinubu word for word, chose to deliberately ignore Tinubu and his cohorts. I call it maturity and tolerance, which you don’t need a Ph.D to do.

“Those who hold public office must learn to guide their utterances” was Mimiko’s reply to Tinubu’s gobbledygook in Ondo.

One of Mimiko’s critics said “despite how we abused him, posted fallacies on the social media before the election, we always stay at ‘joints’ inside the GRA till 2 am, yet we were never attacked nor assaulted, unlike Ekiti where perceived opposition are gunned down.”

Mr Fayose, You also need to learn from ex-Ogun state governor, Gbenga Daniel’s experience who gave it to them, eye for an eye, he lost the battle.

They dragged him into the mud, took him to the pages of newspaper and the latter days of his administration was a very turbulent period as they got him, damaged his PR and the rest is now history.

Your Excellency, No matter what anybody says, the best way to fight this battle is to focus on Your agenda for your people, strive to translate this to reality and the next four years will be so prosperous for you and the state. Shalom!