The stage is set for the governorship election in Ondo State. The Independent National Electoral (INEC) has distributed sensitive materials to the 18 local governments. Many indigenes of the Sunshine State have returned home for the partisan festival of choice and change. Although 17 political parties are fielding candidates, it is a two-horse race as only the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are strong contenders. candidates of other smaller parties are like spectators. Who wins between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and former Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi? Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the issues that will shape the poll.
Eyes are on Ondo State as the people of the Southwest state elect a governor today to steer its affairs for the next four years.
No fewer than 2,053,061 voters are expected to participate in 203 wards across the 18 local government areas, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chaired by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The poll is significant for many reasons. It is expected to be a referendum on the governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who has been in the saddle for almost a year, following the demise of his former boss, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
It is also another popularity test for the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has been the ruling party for eight years. The general feeling is that the off-season governorship polls will herald preparations for the 2027 electioneering. Thus political parties are returning to the drawing board.
While the goal of Ondo APC is power retention, the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is working hard to pull the rug off the feat of the ruling party. Its flagbearer, Agboola Ajayi, is not a pushover in politics. Four years ago, the former deputy governor also rubbed shoulders with his former boss on the platform of the little known Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), where he took refuse after he failed to get the PDP ticket.
Both Aiyedatiwa and Ajayi are not strangers to each other. In the APC, they were party colleagues before Ajayi bade the platform farewell. Also, both had served as deputy governors under Akeredolu. Above all, they are from contiguous local governments in the South Senatorial District.
Election is always a tough battle in Ondo State since the pre-independence era. In today’s election, the police is not leaving anything to chances. Police Commissioner Abayomj Oladipo has warned trouble makers to stay away. Trouble spots identified by security agencies are Idanre, Odigbo, Ilaje and Ese-Odo councils.
Historically, the voting pattern is usually discernible. There is a correlation between public mood and poll results. The outcome, in most instances, is always predictable. Indeed, it is relatively easier for the ordinary man in the street to predict the results of the governorship election in the highly political conscious state. The people of Ondo have always determined the direction, with external forces playing negligible roles and making marginal impacts.
Also, rigging is difficult, unless there is a deliberate attempt to set the state on fire. One of the components of the exercise is physical counting of ballots in the full glare of voters, with party agents maintaing utmost vigilance.
Remarkably, Ondo poll is hardly influenced by forces outside the state. Federal might can be illusory as the home situation is the determinant. No matter the support coming for candidates from outside the state, governorship candidates have learned to work hard through statewide consultations and mobilisation, leaning on financial muscles of backers as an added advantage.
Three factors are non-negotiable: the first is the formidable structure of the candidate; his political party, which should be united and cohesive, and the perception of the generality of the people about the platform. Greenhorns are ruled out at the level of governorship competition, which is usually a clash of titans.
The second is the personality of the candidate; his popularity and tentacles at the grassroots, and the strategy of making the vast majority to take ownership of the governorship project. Despite this, the number of voters, relative to the general population, is always surprisingly low.
The third is the fortification of the support base across the 18 local government, with key leaders of the communities, including political gladiators and elected and appointed public officers, micro-mobilising their supporters, party members, and other residents for the candidate, election being a collective exercise. More importantly, this factor is important because all elections are local.
There is an emphasis on the capacity of those who hold forth in their various local areas to “deliver” their polling booths, units, local governments and constituencies.
In the Sunshine state, other factors, particularly the power of incumbency, and depending on the circumstances surrounding the emergence of candidates, are debatable. Incumbents were defeated in the past.
Also, while zoning was a strong isssue during the primaries, it has fizzled out. Power is shifting to the South Senatorial District, where the APC and PDP candidates come from. To that extent, zoning is a leveller.
From the onset, Ondo has always been a two-party sub-national unit. In the First Republic, it was a battleground for Action Group (AG) and the Nigeria National Democratic Party (NNDP), although AG usually triumphed. During the later part of the Second Republic, the competition between the Unity Party of Nigeria and the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was stiff.
However, gone were the days of ideological politics in Ondo State. The serial defections of gladiators connote an abuse of the party system. The voting pattern in today’s exercise will not be shaped by any ideological leaning as the parties are all-purpose vehicles for attaining power.
Today’s election also contrasts sharply with the previous elections, which unleashed statewide anxiety and tension. The two frontline candidates – Aiyedatiwa and Ajayi – are not in the class of older, more popular and highly entrenched candidates: Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Akin Omoboriowo, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua and Chief Ayo Ogunlade, Chief Adebayo Adefarati and Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Agagu and Olusegun Mimiko, Akeredolu and Mimiko, and Eyitayo Jegede and Akeredolu. The previous flagbearers were heavy weights and giants, who took the politics of the state by storm.
In this dispensation, PDP and the progressive platforms – Alliance for Democracy (AD), Labour Party (LP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and APC – have been alternating the control of the state. Other smaller parties are merely warming the INEC register.
What is also striking is that campaigns on both sides are like mere jamboree. Unlike in the days of ‘Ajasin vs Omoboriowo’ and ‘Adefarati vs Agagu,’ voting behaviour in today’s exercise may not be dictated by any strategic response to manifestos and campaign promises, which are very similar.
Battle of two deputy governors
During the 2016 election, The 2016 election threw up Ajayi as deputy governor. He was like the defacto governor, whose responsibilities included handing the political affairs of the state on behalf of Akeredolu. So powerful and influential was Ajayi that many politicians and other stakeholders deferred to him, being the door to his boss, until the relations between them turned soured. Towards the end of Akeredolu’s first time, the governor and the deputy governor were not on talking terms. However, the plot to impeach Ajayi was stalled.
In 2020, Aiyedatiwa succeeded Ajayi as deputy governor. Last year, he started acting as governor when Akeredolu became indisposed. It was evident that Akeredolu had intended to annoint his deputy governors as successors when he began the clamour for power rotation to the South District, where they come from.
Aiyedatiwa
Aiyedatiwa, who was born on January 12, 1965, hails from Obe-Nla, in Ilaje Local Government Area. In 1986, he obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in Economics and Government from Lagos State College of Education (now Adeniran Ogunsanya University of Education), Ijanikin, Lagos. Ayedatiwa later attended the University of Ibadan for an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration in 2001. He is an alumnus of Lagos Business School – Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos, where he obtained Post Graduate Certification in Chief Executive Education (CEP) in Business Management in 2009. In 2013, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. Aiyedatiwa served as the federal commissioner who represented Ondo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission from 2018 to 2019. He was picked as Rotimi Akeredolu’s running mate in 2020.
Aiyedatiwa became acting governor on December 13, last year after Akeredolu succumbed to end-stage leukaemia. Following his death on December 27 last year, Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as governor.
Ajayi
Ajayi hails from Kiribo Town of the Western Apoi tribe in the Ese Odo local government. He attended Community High School in Kiribo Town and later moved to Methodist High School in Okitipupa council. He studied Law at Igbinedion University, Okada, in Edo State. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) in the Second Class Upper Division and was subsequently called to the bar in 2010 after graduating from Nigerian Law School in Abuja.
Ajayi started his political career under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and became the chairman of the SDP in Old Opoi Ward 1. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ilaje/Ese Odo Constituency the PDP. During his time in the House, Ajayi was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC from 2007 to 2010.
15 smaller parties and their candidates
Apart from Aiyedatiwa/ Olayide Adelami and Ajayi/ Festus Akingbaso tickets, other candidates and their running mates are: Accord Party (AP): Ajibola Falaiye/Samuel lkuyajolu; Action Alliance (AA): Omolere Akinuli/ Oluwatosin Adeyemi; African Action Congress (AAC): Oluwaseyi Ajayi/Abiodun Lijofi; All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Olatunji Popoola/ Ayorinde Adedeji, and Allied Peoples Movement (APM): lsaac Ogunfeyimi/ Arowolo Afolabi.
Others are: Action Peoples Party, (APP): Babatunde Fadoju/Olarewaju Ajagunna; African Democratic Congress (ADC): Adeyemi Nejo/Rasheed Ibrahim; Labour Party (LP): Sola Ebiseni/Dayo Awud; New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP): Gbega Edema/Rotimi Adeyemi; and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP): Babatunde Alli/Olusegun Famesa.
The crisis in the LP has escalated, following the removal of Ebiseni as candidate by the Appeal Court three days to the election. The party’s presidential candidate in last year’s election, Peter Obi, had stormed Akure to campaign for Ebiseni. But, Ayo Olorunfemi is now parading himself as candidate.
The implication of the lengthy list is that the mushroom parties may also attract fractional votes in some local governments, wards and units.
On Thursday, three candidates stepped down for Aiyedatiwa after a realistically appraisal of their chances. They are Dr. Ajibola Falaye (AA), Jenyo Ataunko (NRM) and Olaide Ibrahim (ADC). If others insist on going to the race as a right, they will pale into spectators today. Their structures are weak; the candidates are living in self-deceit.
The weaknesses of the 15 smaller parties notwithstanding, their candidates are very successful people in their professions before throwing their hats in the ring. For example, Ebiseni is a grassroots politician, a lawyer and activist from his university days. He has served as council chairman and commissioner. He is a veteran governorship contender.
Sixty four year-old Falaiye Ajibola studied at Ekiti State University, obtaining his Bachelor’s degree. Mr Ajibola is a grassroots politician.
Omolere of AA is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lery Hago, a luxury travel concierge service focused on creating bespoke travel experiences. His entrepreneurial journey has also co-founded various ventures across different sectors, including beauty, fashion, and product packaging. He chose Adeyemi Oluwatoyin as his running mate
Adekunle of AAC is a poet, activist, thespian and conversationalist on the platform of the African Action Congress (AAC). Ajayi is known for actively participating in protests against government policies, particularly those he views as detrimental to the common man.
Nejo Adeyemi of ADC is a legal practitioner and a prince of Mahin Kingdom in Ilaje local government.
Akinnodi Ayodeji of ADP, popularly called Ejanla, is a prominent businessman, who has a degree in Computer Engineering.
Edema, 66, is from Ogogoro, Ilaje council. He was an aspirant in APC before defecting to NNPP. He is a lawyer, former state lawmaker and ex-chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
Alli of PRP hails from Okitipupa Local Government Area and he was the party’s National Secretary. He holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos.
Litmus test for Aiyedatiwa
Many chieftains of the ruling party at the state, regional and national levels see the Ondo poll as a special project. Vice President Kashim Shettima, who led them to the grand finale of the campaigns in Akure, described Aiyedatiwa as the candidate to beat. Reminiscent of Akeredolu days, mobilisation is total in Ondo APC.
Eyes are on Aiyedatiwa as he warms up for his first litmus test, in which his pairing with the late Akeredolu as running mate four years ago now serves as a veritable background experience. Some sources insisted that Akeredolu had tipped him as his successor before he took ill. Therefore, they believe that despite the mini- succession crisis, the governor would draw from Akeredolu’s goodwill during the poll.
When he assumed the reins, Aiyedatiwa was strengthened by his new status to win the APC governorship ticket. But, after the primary, he acknowledged his limitations. Since a tree cannot make a forest, he embarked on reconciliation. It worked. Major contenders, particularly Chief Olusola Oke (SAN), Southwest APC leader Isaacs Kekemeke, former Secretary to Government Mrs. Oladunni Odu, and former Finance Commissioner Wale Akinterinwa, are mobilising for the governor.
The choice of running mate was also strategic. Adelami, a retired federal civil servant, is from Owo, home town of the deceased governor.
Other zones are putting on their thinking caps, strategising for the future. The districts, particularly the Central, may be inclined to voting for Aiyedatiwa, who can only spend one term more in office, having been previously sworn in as governor in December last year when Akeredolu passed on. The feeling is that rotation may be delayed, if Ajayi, who is constitutionally entitled to two terms, wins. However, if Aiyedatiwa wins, it may not also suppress the silent agitation in the South District that another four years should be conceded to it to make it to eight years.
A party source said Akure APC is planning to unfold the “Akure Agenda” immediately Aiyedatiwa is sworn in for a second term, if he wins today. Since 1999, the state capital has not produced a governor.
Like the APC, the PDP had intensified its campaigns across the three districts. The anchor was Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who led the party’s national leadership to rallies in the state.
The PDP is motivated by hope, which is the elixir of political life. The platform has a good candidate, Ajayi, who has experience, having won elections as council chairman, federal legislator and deputy governor.
Ajayi opposed the PDP four years ago, when Jegede picked Ola Mafo as running mate instead of him. As a governorship aspirant, he had robbed shoulders with the legal luminary. His bid to retain his seat as an active and effective deputy governor when he retraced his steps to PDP collapsed like a pack of cards. Many PDP chieftains in Akure still nurse grudges against him for not supporting Jegede in 2020, but preferring to split the PDP votes by contesting on the platform of ZLP.
Gale of defections
To observers, the strength of the two parties – APC and PDP – is a major factor. Today, there appears to be a huge gap between the ruling APC and the struggling PDP in terms of strength, formidability, confidence, financial resources, and prospects. Therefore, if Aiyedatiwa and Ajayi are put on the weighing scale, what is discernible?
Morning shows the day. APC has been receiving defectors from opposition parties. While people move from their parties to APC based on conviction, others are responding to carrots being dangled by the party in power. Only few stalwarts have dumped the ruling party.
A party chieftain, Tayo Abidakun, former member of the House of Representatives, said APC had enlarged its coast to accomodate the defectors. Another chieftain, who reflected on the gale of defections, retorted: “Many are coming to APC because they could not leave certainty for uncertainty.”
The sheer number of tdefectors from PDP and other parties to the APC is worrisome to the main opposition party. The latest defector to APC is Mrs Susan Alabi, deputy governorship candidate of SDP. Aiyedatiwa, who welcomed her at a rally in Okeagbe Akoko urged leaders to give the defectors a sense of belonging.
Ondo APC Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, who spoke on the defections, said: “The chance of our party is bright. APC is the only party in Ondo State as of today. The few people who were making things difficult in the party have defected to APC. Eminent people like Joseph Akinlaja, formerly of the House of Representatives, have come to APC. Kolade Akinjo, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, has come to APC. Lad Ojomo, formerly of the House of Representatives, is in APC.
“The former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele, is now in APC. Former opposition spokesmen Eni Akinsola and Banji Olumide, are in APC. The depletion has boosted our confidence. Our party is united. We are working. We will be victorious.”
Mimiko factor in Ondo sub-zone
Also, the defection of loyalists of former Governor Mimiko to the APC in August is also expected to boost Aiyedatiwa’s victory, although Mimiko’s younger brother, Dr. Abass Mimiko, is ZLP candidate.
Paradoxically, Mimiko, titular leader of ZLP, is supporting Aiyedatiwa, despite his biological brother being on the ballot. That brand of political behaviour that makes an astute politician of Governor Mimiko’s calibre to swing the pendulum of victory to Aiyedatiwa, who his brother, the ZLP candidate is opposing, can only be intellectually explained by another sibling, Femi Mimiko, an eminent Professor of Political Science.
So far, the only notable defector to PDP is the former Commissioner in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Benson Enikuomehin, a lawyer, who was received into the fold at a rally in Ore by Governor Makinde. Enikuomehin had criticised the APC primary conducted by Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo. He was rooting for an aspirant, Oke. Ironically, Oke has closed ties with the governor.
Unlike in the past, PDP chieftain and Abuja minister Nyesom Wike is not mobilising for the PDP candidate. It is the fallout of the crisis that had engulfed the party since the 2023 electionering. A party source said four years ago, the former governor of Rivers State lent a hand of support to Jegede.
PDP on edge
PDP had a beautiful beginning in Ondo State. Its glorious days were between 2003 and 2007, when Olusegun Agagu was governor, and between 2016 and 2020 when Mimiko was in power. Even, in 1999, when Agagu ran against Adefarati, the party showed some promises as the party of the future. Following the post-primary crisis in AD, an aggrieved governorship aspirant, Mrs. Bolaji Osomo, defected to the party with her supporters. According to INEC, AD had 51 per cent while PDP had 49 per cent of the total votes at the poll.
After gaining political control in 2003, the party was hit by crisis. A faction, led by Mimiko, who was Secretary to Government, rebelled against Agagu. The camp sought refuge in LP, contested against Agagu and won because Mimiko, fondly called “Iroko,” had become more popular. In those days, when Tinubu embarked on his liberation and rescue mission in the Southwest, his support for Mimiko was unquantifiable. Although there was an unwritten agreement that Mimiko would collaborate with ACN, it never happened.
However, having used LP and dumped it, members of the group returned to PDP and Mimiko retained power. But, the opposition against Mimiko thickened and he could not install a successor. After the poll, he went to ZLP. Therefore, no party leader, or group of leaders, have been able to consistently galvanised the PDP in Ondo State.
PDP, hitherto a formidable force in the state, consequently became a limping horse, drained of energy. Its leading lights whose name, weight and influence once accounted for the fame of the party, are now playing marginal or dormant roles.
The question many are asking in the state is where are they now? Agagu and Prof. Olu Agbi had passed on. Senators Gbenga Ogunniya and Bode Olajumoke are not on the slippery battle field again. Pa Ali Olanusi never returned to the party, even as deputy governor. Mrs. Osomo has also not been visible. These big wigs are quietly enjoying their retirement.
Also, Jegede is not making much noise as he did four years ago. Oke is in APC giving effective backing to Aiyedatiwa. Neither is the former minister, Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), roaring. Why Ajayi is perceived as a competent candidate, only few heavy weights are complementing his mobilisation efforts in the three districts.
However, the PDP candidate may spring a surprise in Idanre, where the influence of his running mate, Festus Akingbaso, a member of the House of Representatives, is not in doubt. A young, dynamic and grasstoots operator with a deep purse, he won election into the National Assembly, daring the old and experienced rivals.
Akingbaso has the support of youths, who see him as their idol. He has a solid structure that has withstood the onslaught and scheming of bigger parties when he was elected without godfathers. It would be see how much weight Ade Adetimehin, an engineer, can pull in the local government. The Ondo APC chairman is from Idanre.
Already, the atmosphere in Idanre is tense. During the week, there was violence and an indigene was killed. The police are still trying to unravel the root cause of the mayhem.
Incumbency power
Unlike the PDP, the APC has the advantage of stable and consistent leadership. The federal might is not imaginary. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not relenting in his push for a transparent and credible election. However, the APC national leadership is behind the Ondo chapter like tge Wall of Gibraltar.
Although the ruling party was engulfed in crisis in the state before and shortly after the death of Akeredolu, it has succeeded largely in putting its house in order. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Aiyedatiwa’s opponent during the primary, is aggresively mobilising for the governor’s victory. He told his teeming supporters to vote for the governor on last week. The national chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, addressed enthusiastic supporters of Ibrahim at Igbotako, his home town. They pledged their loyalty to the party and the candidate.
Other former aspirants have also sheathed their swords and elevated the collective interest of the party over personal interests. For example, Akinterinwa was at the forefront when the campaign train rolled into Ile-Oluji/Odigbo council. Even, few aspirants who are still aggrieved, though quiet, are not working against the governor.
Party sources said the solidarity, unity and cohesion in the party is in deference to President Tinubu, who intervened and sued for peace in the interest of all stakeholders. Reflecting on the efficacy of conflict resolution and reconciliation, Senator Ibrahim, told his supporters at the Igbotako rally that the president’s fatherly role has gone a long way in fostering harmony in Ondo APC.
No fewer than 15 APC governors stormed the state to express solidarity with Aiyedatiwa this week. On Thursday, Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. H.Alia joined Aiyedatiwa in receiving defectors in Akure.
Also, Southwest governors – Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and Ododo of Kogi State were in the state to campaign for their colleague. Ododo has visited Ebira communities, urging his kinsmen to vote for Aiyedatiwa in display of solidarity. Also, Oyebanji has set up consultative committees in the 18 councils to mobilise Ekiti people to vote for the APC. During the week, Oyebanji held a town hall meeting with Ekitis in Ondo State, urging them to vote for Aiyedatiwa the way their people at home had voted for him and supported his administration
In Ondo, APC is in total control. It has a clear majority in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate caucuses. All the commissioners, special advisers and other aides belong to the ruling party. However, a party stalwart in Akure said “the coordination of the campaigns is not as it used to be. While it is effective in many councils, it is not like that in some councils. The last minute mobilisation should correct the anomaly. “
Not a walkover
However, the poll cannot be a walkover for APC in all local governments. The PDP structures are intact; they are only weakened by the vissicititues of the times. Pockets of support exist for PDP in the North. But, the support for the party may be dwarfed by the presence of APC leaders in the zone, including Senator Ajayi Boroffice, House of Representatives member Gboyega Adefarati, former Police Inspector-General Sunday Ehindero, Otunba Solomon Oladunni, and Senator Jide Ipinsagba, who has attracted a fanatical followership.
Also, an emerging juggernaut and power broker in the Akoko axis is Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, who has relocated home to conduct the preparations for the poll. With him is the younger Ehindero, who had replaced him in the National Assembly.
In Owo, which is the second sub-zone in the North District, Akeredolu seemed to have blocked the PDP effectively. But, some associates of the deceased governor are not totally with Aiyedatiwa, although they remain in APC. These aggrieved members include Alhaji Rimi, Jide Akeredolu, son of the former governor, and Dare Aragbaye, his former Special Adviser. However, Owo is expected to give the party majority vote, being the home town of Aiyedatiwa’s running mate. The deputy governorship slot is like a compensation for Akeredolu.
Traditionally, the Central District used to be the stronghold of PDP. It is a cosmopolitan setting. It’s population is huge and diverse. Indigenes of Akure North and South are politically conscious right from the 1950s and 60s when Senator Aro Adebowale and Chief Bolanle Adedipe, Elemo of Akure, dominated the politics of the town, and in the 80s when the current Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Alex Adedipe and Wumi Adegbonmire made the area impenetrable to the NPN. Olu Falae, Oba of Ilu-Aabo, is also a notable figure. The Northern axis -Iju/Ita-Ogbolu, is also the base of Senator Tayo Alasoadura.
Both Akure North and South have a high concentration of settlers from across the federation. While Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke came to the state to woo indiges for PDP, Osun APC chieftains also came to mobilise the same people for their party.
Akure is the base of Jegede. But, sources said some of his loyalists are hobnobbing with APC. The reason is that they felt that Ajayi never supported him in 2020. Also, APC leaders in the state capital, including Ife Abegunde, a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Secretary to Government, Tayo Oluwatuyi and Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti of the State Hospital Board are not sleeping on guard.
Four years ago, PDP won Akure because of Jegede, son of the soil. While PDP polled 12, 263 in Akure North and 47,629 in Akure South, APC scored 9,546 and 12,277. Can the feat be repeated today? Also, in the two Ondo, Ifedore and Idanre local governments, PDP did well.
In Ondo, a sub-zone of the Ondo Central, Mimiko, who has dumped PDP, is in charge and Aiyedatiwa, who kicked off his campaigns in the ancient town, is leaning on the former governor. In 2020, in Ondo East, APC got 6,485 votes; PDP got 4,0485. In Ondo West, APC got 15,122 and PDP scored 8,421. Bola Ilorin a former commissioner in Osun State,,is from this axis. The question is: can PDP take Ondo local governments this time around?
The South is the projected battle ground. This is understandable. The two candidates are from there. Since 2020, APC has maintained a firm grip on the district. Mafo is still committed to PDP. But, the APC gladiators – Jimoh Ibrahim, Oke, Kekemeke, Donald Ojogo, a federal legislator, and Femi Agagu are also working hard in their local governments with greater determination.
In last year’s senatorial election, Ajayi ran as the PDP candidate. He polled about 58,000 votes to APC’s Jimoh Ibrahim’s 112,000 votes. Can he woo the zone to now vote for him today? What made the difference in last year’s senatorial poll was the disposition of Ikale. The pattern may not change in today’s poll.
Also, Aiyedatiwa once contested for the House of Representatives in his native Ilaje/ Ese – Odo and lost. But today, the stakes are high. He is governor and this, according to observers, is his election.
In the riverine areas, both APC and PDP are full of bravado. According to analysts, the battle may be more fierce in Ilaje/Ese-Odo, where two relatively smaller sub-ethnic groups – Arogbo and Apoi – cohabit. The votes may be shared, said an observer, who added: “The scenario being built is that while Apoi are likely to gravitate to Ajayi, Arogbo are likely to vote for Aiyedatiwa, all things being equal.”
However, a defector from APC to PDP, Yusuf Abdullateef, cautioned against over-confidence, saying that it is risky for APC to underrate Ajayi. He said many people in the state are not happy because of the economic situation in the country. He said besides, farmers are unhappy that goverment took their farmlands and gave to some corporate organisations. He said the South would prefer Ajayi to Aiyedatiwa.
Kalejaye disagreed. He said: “APC will win the governorship poll in Ondo State because it has formidable structures across the 18 councils. Our target this year is to win the entire 18 local governments.”
The publicity secretary said Aiyedatiwa has impressed the people by repositioning the critical sectors of education, health and civil services through his reforms and commitment to welfare.
Kalejaye praised Aiyedatiwa for doing what the people of Ondo State expected from a good leader, stressing that he has prioritised the welfare of workers.
He said while many states were dilly-dallying on the minimum wage, Aiyedatiwa was prepared to pay N73,000.
Kalejaye added: “Our party is strong and our governor is working. We have the structures at the unit, ward, local government and state levels. We have the people. We have the population behind us. We will win.”
