The emergence of multi-billionaire businessman Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State was a political masterstroke, which caught many observers by surprise. Be that as it may, Ibrahim, who emerged, following the order of an Abuja Federal High Court that he was the authentic candidate, has a number of challenges to surmount to realise his ambition of succeeding Governor Olusegun Mimiko. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines his chances at the poll.
As the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State draws closer, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to have a clear direction. In line with the crisis rocking the party at the national level, the Ondo chapter is polarised into two factions: the mainstream group, led by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, is loyal to the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee, while the Biyi Poroye-led faction is loyal to the embattled Ali Modu-Sheriff-led National Executive Committee. The two groups have been at loggerheads over which of them should present the party’s candidate for the poll. The immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), the candidate of the Makarfi group while a business mogul, Chief Ibrahim Jimoh, is the candidate of the Sheriff faction.
Based on the order of an Abuja Federal High Court presided over Justice Okon Abang, Ibrahim is the officially-recognised candidate. In the ruling, Justice Abang re-affirmed its earlier judgment that Sheriff is the authentic PDP chairman and, as a corollary, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should substitute the name of Jegede, who had earlier been submitted to it with that of Ibrahim.
But, observers believe that it is not yet uhuru for Ibrahim, who has been nursing the ambition of ruling Sunshine State over the years. To begin with, it is widely believed that he has no structure to prosecute the election. Indeed, his membership of the PDP in Ondo State is still a subject of controversy. The Makarfi group in the state disowned the business mogul, shortly after he collected his governorship nomination form from the Sheriff faction, saying he had left the fold.
The group’s Director of Publicity, Mr Ayo Fadaka, said Ibrahim had left the party for the Accord Party. Fadaka said: “While I am not disputing the fact that when Ibrahim was a member of the PDP, he was a pillar of support, but that was in the past; he wilfully moved from the party to the Accord Party and it is too late in the day to return now and immediately vie for the governorship of the state. There must be decorum in the way politics is played in this country or else we will be bereft of standard.”
The Ondo State Chairman of the group, Mr. Clement Faboyede, faulted the process through which Ibrahim emerged. He said the primary through which he emerged as candidate was neither held in Ondo State, nor supervised by INEC. He also noted that Ibrahim had dumped the party for Accord Party and that, having spent most of his life in Lagos and Abuja in pursuant of his business interests, he doesn’t relate with the people of Ondo State.
He said: “How do you expect someone who is not acquainted with the problems of Ondo to become the governor? Who are his followers? There is no member of the state executive council of the PDP supporting his candidacy; the governor and members of the state executive are against him. We will resist any attempt to impose a candidate on Ondo PDP.”
However, the Chairman of the Sheriff faction, Mr. Biyi Poroye, believes Ibrahim is the candidate to beat. Poroye said the judgment that threw the business mogul up as the party’s candidate is a favourable one and could only be upturned by a superior court of law. He said the judgment proved that his faction of the PDP was the authentic one.
He added: “If they said the judgment does not affect them why did they appeal? We don’t have issues with one another in the party; we have issues with INEC and the court has told the electoral body that Jimoh Ibrahim is the candidate of the PDP in Ondo State. He went through the party primary and won. We submitted his name and that of his running mate to INEC. We are in full support of our candidate (Ibrahim) and we will back him to victory.”
The journey of the Igbotako-born businessman to occupy the Alagbaka Government House started in 2003, when he contested for the position on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). After the failed attempt, he went back to the drawing board and part of the strategies he came up with was to pitch his tent with the PDP.
In spite of the fact that Ibrahim is the PDP candidate that enjoys the recognition of INEC, observers are of the view that he has a long way to go in his bid to govern the state. For instance, they say he is yet to start campaigning for votes for an election that will hold in about two weeks time. On the other hand, Jegede and his campaign team, despite the legal tussle over the party’s ticket, have stepped up their campaign across the state.
A member of the Markafi group, Chief Adetiba Aladesoun, said Ibrahim is not contesting to win the governorship election, but to frustrate Jegede, who is the choice of the party. He said Ibrahim cannot win in his local government, not to talk of the other 17 local governments. “I blame the current development on the crisis that has polarised the PDP,” he added.
Aladesoun said if the court finally endorsed Ibrahim as the PDP flag bearer, the party should forget the election. He said: “Ibrahim is not on ground. He has no political structure. His human relations are very poor. He is not in touch with the grassroots. Who will vote for him? If you go round Ondo State, there is nothing to suggest that Ibrahim is in the race. His campaign is yet to take off.
“If Ibrahim is foisted on us as PDP candidate, they can’t force us to vote for him. I can assure you that there will be mass defection from the PDP to other parties. Our members are just waiting for the Appeal Court judgment. Ibrahim is not on the same page with Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the party elders in the state and the party executive in Ondo. Tell me who will support him to win the election. The truth is that Ibrahim’s candidacy is dead on arrival.”
Besides, the PDP candidate’s attempt to solicit for the support of workers has received wide criticism. Against the background of how he has been running his business and how he treats his workers, he drew the ire of his opponents when he promised to clear the backlog of salaries being owed civil servants in the state within 100 days.
He said: “I will restructure the state in the area of capacity building, good innovation and by putting the right thing in the right place at the right time. I will pay the workers within the first day of my 100 days in office. Non-payment of salaries by the state government is the failure of innovation of states by governors. It is when you are innovative that you will be able to pay salaries. The governors who owe are not efficient. I don’t owe any of my workers. “
His critics say Ibrahim is the least qualified to manage the affairs of the state, because according to them, most of his businesses have either been ran aground or struggling to survive. They argue that if he had skills of turning around the state economy, it should reflect in the management of his businesses.
A lawyer, Mr. Akin Omodara, said Ibrahim has a style of acquiring businesses and put them on the slaughter. He mentioned Air Nigeria, Nigeria Re-Insurance Corporation, NICON Insurance and Newswatch publishing company among business outfits acquired by the Harvard-trained lawyer that are no more in operation.
Omodara said if Ibrahim had failed to manage his business empire successfully, the people of Ondo should not entrust their fate in his hands. He said: “Many Nigerians who worked in the failed enterprises owned by him have lost their means of livelihood, due to bad management.”
He questioned the managerial acumen of Ibrahim. His words: “He should tell us why most of his business enterprises have gone under; he should stop raising false hope; the Ondo people know that he has failed to manage his personal business well. Let him not make promises that he cannot fulfil.”
A PDP chieftain, Mr Alex Oloruntoba, said Ibrahim is deceiving the people. According to him, Ibrahim should stop casting aspersion on Mimiko, who has done his best in transforming the state.
He said: “I was amazed when Ibrahim promised to pay outstanding workers’ salaries within the first 100 days in office. If he can do that why can’t he perform this feat in his companies; why does he owe his staff? He should start with his workers by paying the backlog of salary. Let his charity begin from his business environment.”
When Ibrahim shut down Air Nigeria on September 16, 2012, he promised that it will be for one year. After three years, Air Nigeria is still grounded. Defending his action, Ibrahim said he bought Air Nigeria with his money and that it was left for him to do whatever he likes with it.
Ibrahim added: “Nigerians should learn how to appreciate people. The aim of the controversies was to bring us down, but we are too big to fall. If the government of Nigeria today, withdraws all my businesses, I will rebuild them in few days. We are in Dubai, United States, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Sao Tome and in this great country, Nigeria. If we have 16 companies and one dies, we are still on ‘A’ grade. Why should the corporate surgeon be crucified for the one that died? Why don’t we ask questions about the success of the 15 which have employed 21,000 people and pay salary of over N4 billion. It’s not a joke. We don’t owe salaries.
“I love Nigeria; I have passion for this country; I believe in Nigeria. If not because of few threats here and there, I won’t locate business outside. But I must, because my entrepreneurial skill will be deemed to be local, if I don’t have businesses outside the country. Our investment in some countries is bigger than what we have in Nigeria.”
Analysts say unless the PDP factions settle their differences and go to the poll on November 26 as a united body, the chances of the party winning is very slim, because none of them can do it alone.
