Hukumar zabe mai zaman kanta ta kasa ta shirya tsaf domin gudanar da zaɓen gwamna a jihar Ekiti, ɗaya daga cikin jihohin yankin kudu-maso-yammancin Nijeriya.
A wannan rahoto na musamman mun kalli tarihin zaɓukan baya da yadda hakan ya taimaka wajen gina tsarin siyasa da yanayin hamayya tsakanin jam’iyyu, da yadda al’ummar jihar ke kallon zaɓe da shugabancin jihar a yau.
An ƙirƙiri Jihar Ekiti daga tsohuwar Jihar Ondo ne a watan Oktoban shekarar 1996 a ƙarƙashin mulkin soja. Jihar ta fara gudanar da mulkin dimokuraɗiyya a shekarar 1999. Daga baya, jadawalin zaɓukanta ya bambanta da na sauran zaɓukan gama gari na ƙasa sakamakon yawan soke sakamakon zaɓe da umarnin sake gudanar da zaɓe da kotuna suka yi.
Fagen siyasar Jihar Ekiti na daga cikin mafi zafi dake cike da gasa a Najeriya. An san jihar da tsananin hamayya tsakanin jam’iyyu, shari’o’in zaɓe masu muhimmanci da suka sauya jadawalin zaɓenta, da kuma ƙalubalen da ake fuskanta wajen ƙarfafa fitowar masu kaɗa ƙuri’a.
Wani babban lamari da ya fi fice a tarihin zaɓen jihar shi ne sauyin jadawalin zaɓen gwamnoni. Wannan ya sa Ekiti ta kasance cikin kaɗan daga cikin jihohin Najeriya da ke gudanar da zaɓen gwamnoni a lokacin da ya bambanta da na zaɓukan gama gari na ƙasa.
A zaɓen shekarar 2007, an fara bayyana cewa Olusegun Oni na jam’iyyar Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ne ya yi nasara. Sai dai babban abokin hamayyarsa, Kayode Fayemi, wanda ke wakiltar jam’iyyar AC ya kai ƙara kotu yana zargin an tafka maguɗi da kura-kurai masu yawa a zaɓen.
Bayan shari’ar da ta ɗauki kusan shekaru uku ana yi, Kotun Ɗaukaka Ƙara da ke Ilorin ta soke nasarar Segun Oni a watan Oktoban 2010 tare da ayyana Fayemi a matsayin wanda ya lashe zaɓen bisa doka.
Saboda Kundin Tsarin Mulkin Najeriya ya tanadi cewa gwamna zai yi cikakken wa’adin shekaru huɗu daga ranar da aka rantsar da shi, rantsar da Fayemi a shekarar 2010 ya sa jadawalin zaɓen gwamnan Ekiti ya sauya gaba ɗaya, kuma ya rabu da jadawalin zaɓukan gama gari na ƙasa.
A tarihi, masu zaɓe a Ekiti suna da halin hukunta gwamnati mai ci idan ba su gamsu da aikinta ba. Wannan ya haifar da wani yanayi da ake iya kwatanta da “agogon lilo”, inda mulki ke komawa hannu da hannu tsakanin PDP da APC (da jam’iyyun da suka gabace ta).
Daga shekarar 1999 zuwa 2003, Niyi Adebayo na jam’iyyar Alliance for Democracy (AD) ya zama gwamnan farar hula na farko a jihar a jamhuriya ta huɗu.
Daga shekarar 2003 zuwa 2014, PDP ta mamaye siyasar jihar bayan nasarar Ayo Fayose a zaɓen 2003. Sai dai mulkinsa ya zo ƙarshe ba zato ba tsammani bayan an tsige shi a shekarar 2006 cikin wani yanayi mai cike da cece-kuce. Wannan ya jefa jihar cikin rikicin siyasa da rashin kwanciyar hankali, inda aka samu shugabanni na riƙo da masu gudanarwa kafin rikicin zaɓen 2007 tsakanin Segun Oni da Kayode Fayemi.
A shekarar 2014 kuwa, Ayo Fayose ya yi gagarumar dawowa siyasa inda ya kayar da gwamna mai ci, Kayode Fayemi na APC. Yaƙin neman zaɓen ya samu gagarumar goyon baya daga jama’a a matakin ƙasa-ƙasa, wanda ya haifar da mafi yawan fitowar masu kaɗa ƙuri’a a tarihin zaɓukan zamani na jihar. A shekarar 2018, Fayemi ya sake komawa mulki bayan ya lashe zaɓen gwamna a madadin APC.
Jam’iyyar APC ta karya camfin “wa’adi ɗaya kacal” da jama’a ke yi lokacin da Biodun Oyebanji, wanda ya samu goyon bayan gwamna mai barin gado Kayode Fayemi, ya lashe zaɓen shekarar 2022.
Duk da cewa al’ummar Ekiti suna da wayewar siyasa sosai kuma lokutan yaƙin neman zaɓe suna da zafi, jihar na da wani abin mamaki a tarihinta: tun daga shekarar 1999 babu wani gwamna da ya taɓa samun ƙuri’un sama da rabin dukkan masu rajistar zaɓe.
Ko da yake yawan masu rajistar zaɓe a jihar kan kasance mai yawa, fitowar masu kaɗa ƙuri’a a ranar zaɓe yawanci ba ta kai kashi 50 cikin ɗari ba. A zaɓen shekarar 2022, kusan mutum 360,000 ne kawai suka fito domin yin zaɓe, wanda ya kai kusan kashi 36.47 cikin ɗari na masu rajista.
Babban fitowar masu zaɓe da aka samu a shekarar 2014, wato kashi 49.12 cikin ɗari, ya samo asali ne daga tsananin fafatawa tsakanin gwamna mai ci Kayode Fayemi da ɗan takara Ayo Fayose. Raguwar amincewa da tsarin zaɓe da kuma fargabar tashe-tashen hankula masu alaƙa da zaɓe na ci gaba da rage yawan fitowar masu zaɓe.
Wani muhimmin batu da ke tasiri a siyasar jihar shi ne batun rabon mulki tsakanin yankunan sanatoci uku na jihar. Tun bayan dawowar dimokuraɗiyya a shekarar 1999, duk gwamnonin da aka zaɓa sun fito ne daga yankin Ekiti ta tsakiya ko Ekiti ta Arewa.
Wannan ne ya haifar da abin da ake kira “Ajandar Ekiti ta Kudu (Ekiti South Agenda)”, wato yunƙurin shugabannin al’umma da ‘yan siyasa daga yankin Ekiti ta Kudu na neman a ba yankinsu damar samar da gwamna. Duk da cewa wannan batu ya zama muhimmin abin tattaunawa a siyasar jihar, manyan jam’iyyun siyasa ba su mayar da shi babban sharadi ba, inda galibin fafatawar siyasa ke gudana ne bisa ƙarfin jam’iyya da tasirin masu mulki fiye da tsarin rabon mulki tsakanin yankuna.
Gwamna Biodun Oyebanji shi ne gwamnan Jihar Ekiti mai ci a yanzu. Hukumar Zaɓe Mai Zaman Kanta ta Ƙasa (INEC) ta fitar da sanarwar da doka ta tanada tare da fara shirye-shiryen gudanar da zaɓen gwamna wanda aka tsara za a yi ranar 20 ga Yunin 2026.
A wannan zaɓe, Oyebanji zai nemi sake komawa mulki karo na biyu, yayin da wasu ‘yan takara daga jam’iyyu daban-daban ke ci gaba da bayyana domin fafatawa da shi.