The Ekiti North Paradox: A Party That Cannot Pay Its Workers Now Seeks Your Vote
By Tunde Jegede , Oye-Ekiti
The growing scandal surrounding the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—pegged on its failure to pay staff salaries for over a year—has taken a local dimension, casting serious doubts on the viability and sincerity of the party’s flagbearers at the grassroots.
Political observers in Ekiti North Senatorial District are questioning the moral grounds and financial preparedness of the party as it parades candidates for the upcoming 2027 general elections.
A Party in Financial Shambles:
In a scathing press statement issued by Dele Alake, Spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, the National Working Committee of the ADC—under the leadership of Senator David Mark as Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Secretary—was lambasted for subjecting its national workforce to over 12 months of unpaid wages.
The statement noted that a political organization characterized by internal penury, financial recklessness, and the mistreatment of its own daily-earning cleaners and secretariat staff lacks the moral authority to seek public mandate.
The crisis has now hit home, directly spotlighting the party’s structure in Ekiti North.
The Ekiti North Paradox: Sponsoring Bids on Empty
Promises
In Ekiti North Senatorial District, the ADC has put forward Dr. Funso Ayeni as its senatorial candidate for the 2027 race.
However, constituents and local stakeholders are asking a fundamental question: Where will a party that cannot afford basic administrative salaries find the resources to fund a credible senatorial campaign?
Party structures require heavy operational mobilization, ranging from setting up functional local campaign offices to logistics. More critically, conducting a competitive election requires the ability to comfortably foot the allowances of party agents across polling units, secure media spaces, and meet other essential operational costs on election day.
”A political party that cannot manage its internal house or pay basic staff salaries at its national headquarters is structurally bankrupt. If the ADC cannot sustain its own workers, how can it bankroll an expensive legislative campaign or stand as a reliable vehicle for the people of Ekiti North?” a local stakeholder queried.
A Legacy of Broken Welfare:
Critics note that the current travails under the ADC mirror the antecedents of its key figures. The dismal payroll records associated with its leaders—ranging from historical management issues tied to the party’s presidential hopeful, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to the controversial “half-salary” and pension arrears era under former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola—seem to have trickled down into the party’s institutional DNA.
As the 2027 general elections draw closer, voters in Ekiti North Senatorial District are being urged to look beyond grandiose manifestos and examine the tangible track record of political platforms.
For a party struggling to keep its lights on and its secretariat workers fed at the national level, political analysts maintain that asking the electorate of Ekiti North to entrust them with their mandate is an exercise in political self-delusion.
