Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has recalled how his political opponents branded him “Tokunbo” during the 2010 governorship election in an attempt to question his roots and weaken his political appeal.
Fayemi, who eventually emerged victorious in the rerun election, said the label formed part of the campaign strategies deployed against him during one of the most closely watched political contests in Ekiti State.
The former governor recounted the episode while reflecting on his political journey and the challenges he encountered before eventually securing the governorship of the state.
According to the Vanguard report, Fayemi said his opponents sought to portray him as someone who was not sufficiently connected to the state despite his political and personal ties to Ekiti.
The “Tokunbo” description, commonly used in Nigeria to refer to something imported or brought from abroad, was therefore deployed politically to create an impression that Fayemi was an outsider.
The strategy was particularly significant because questions of identity, indigeneity and local connection have historically played important roles in Nigerian electoral politics.
Fayemi, however, was able to overcome the narrative and maintain his campaign despite the attempts to portray him as disconnected from the people he sought to govern.
His 2010 victory represented a major milestone in his political career after he had previously contested the Ekiti governorship election and challenged the outcome through the courts.
The Ekiti political contest eventually became a defining chapter in the state’s political history, with Fayemi emerging as the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria.
His victory also demonstrated the extent to which political narratives and campaign messaging could influence electoral contests in the state.
By revisiting the “Tokunbo” episode years later, Fayemi has offered an insight into the political tactics used during the period and the pressures that accompanied his emergence as a major opposition figure.
The former governor’s political journey had already placed him at the centre of opposition politics in Nigeria before his first tenure as Ekiti governor.
His experience in the 2010 contest subsequently became part of the broader story of how opposition politics evolved in Ekiti and across the South-West.
The episode also highlights how political candidates can be subjected to labels designed to shape voters’ perceptions of their background and suitability for public office.
For Fayemi, the attempt to portray him as an outsider ultimately did not prevent him from winning the governorship and establishing himself as one of the prominent political figures to emerge from Ekiti.
His subsequent political career extended beyond Ekiti politics, including his role as a former Minister of Solid Minerals Development and his leadership of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Fayemi served two terms as governor of Ekiti State, first from 2010 to 2014 and later from 2018 to 2022.
His political trajectory has therefore remained closely associated with the state’s opposition politics and the long-running contests that have shaped its leadership.
The recollection of the 2010 campaign comes as Nigerian politicians continue to rely heavily on narratives about candidates’ origins, experience and connection with their constituencies during elections.
Such narratives can become powerful campaign tools, particularly in closely contested elections where relatively small shifts in voter perception can affect the final outcome.
Fayemi’s account consequently provides a glimpse into the personal and political challenges that accompanied his first successful bid for the Ekiti governorship.
The “Tokunbo” label, which was intended by his opponents to question his local identity, ultimately became only one episode in a political journey that would see him occupy the highest elected office in Ekiti State.
His latest recollection also underscores how political campaigns can extend beyond policy debates into contests over identity, belonging and public perception.
As Ekiti and other states prepare for future political contests, Fayemi’s experience remains a reminder of how campaign narratives can be deliberately constructed to influence voters.