The moment there was a vacuum to replace Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Prof Dayo Faduyile entered the race for the Ondo South representative on the platform of APC, in a bye election he won convincingly with 68,474 votes as announced by INEC Returning officer, Prof. Gbenga Solomon Ibileye. The Prince of Abodiland defeated Adeolu Akinwunmi of APM who scored 1,411 votes, Adesanya Olaoluwa of APP, 213 votes, and Boot Party candidate, Clement Nejo who polled 70 votes. The total valid votes was put at 70,770.
Right from the onset, Senator Faduyile made it clear that he would build on the achievements traceable to his predecessor, Senator jimoh Ibrahim and that pattern had emerged from his 100 days in office as Ondo South federal law maker.
Early enough as he hits the ground running, Prof. Dayo Faduyile established with all his actions, the philosophy of a politician with a listening ear, identify the needs of his constituents on whose behalf he got the mandate, intervened during critical moments, connect his people to availed opportunities, and also taking problems of Ondo South to institutions that can solve them.
A close look at his timeline of action from June 20 when he won the bye election to his being sworn in on June 24, his first motion on late Ondo South pioneer Senator meroyi on July 23, engagement with stakeholders by early August and by August 9, he was out inspecting the Okitipupa flood ravaged communities. Tie these actions to 1 million naira donation to a youths empowerment programme intervention with a follow up on Okitipupa flood crisis between August 10-14 with Nema going for collation of data, Back to school initiative on September 18, Sept 29 delivery of relief package and round it up with 300 youths AI training empowerment, there is a clear pattern and not a collection of isolated activities.
Within 100 days in office, Senator Faduyile’s actions when carefully woven together and critically examined seem to be making a profound statement saying “I know, I have limited time and I did not come to the Senate to merely occupy the seat, I came to understand the people, respond to their immediate needs, invest in their future and build the connections through which Ondo South can compete for development.”
Within 100 days in office, Senator Faduyile seems to be exploring a leadership pattern of a leader who is time conscious and impact driven, a leadership that treats public office as a limited window in which measurable value must be treated quickly, a model that knows leadership can not be measured by how long but by how much value is created while there.
While rounding off, one can say that in 100 days, Senator Faduyile has begun to write a simple message into the political history of Ondo South, that a short mandate does not have to produce a small legacy. The measure of time in public office from his demonstration of actions is not only in months but in the number of lives reached, problems confronted and promises translated into action.
