Ahead of next year’s governorship election in Ondo State, ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, reports that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is making early preparations to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC)
In a candid statement to reporters last week, the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State declared that the forthcoming governorship election will be an easy ride for the party, saying the government of the ruling party had performed well since it came to power. The state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alex Kalejaiye, announced with an air of confidence “the APC is waxing stronger daily, which will make it difficult for the opposition to overthrow the government in the next year election.”
Kalejaiye’s comments were made in reference to the highly anticipated governorship elections set to take place next year and displayed the posture of a party unconcerned with the glaring determination of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the numerous gubernatorial aspirants now crisscrossing the length and breadth of the state in their quest to take over the job of APC’s Rotimi Akeredolu come 2020.
But some observers of the politics of the state say Kalejaiye’s boldness in responding to questions about the coming election, as well as the confidence being exuded by other chieftains of the ruling party, should not be taken as all that is needed to write APC’s name in the winner’s column in predicting the outcome of the election. The upcoming polls, they say, may be the most fiercely contested, since the return to democracy in 1999.
A major factor that should not be discounted is the determination of the leading opposition party, the PDP, to return to power in the state it once ruled for more than a decade. Ayo Ademinokan, Secretary of the state’s chapter of Voters’ Right Agenda (VoRA), stated that “the greatest strength of the opposition PDP is its new found determination. The party is not just talking; its chieftains are matching the talks with action. And it appears the people are taking better notice of all these.”
Also, the PDP is enjoying the confidence and popularity that come with its success at the 2019 general elections in the state. Against most predictions by bookmakers, it snatched up two senatorial seats, producing Nicholas Tofowomo and Ayo Akinyelure for the South senatorial and central zones respectively and won four seats in the House of Representatives. The results were serious setbacks for the ruling party and analysts say it will be foolhardy for any serious politician or party to ignore such turnaround in the fortune of an almost dead Ondo PDP.
Obviously, the ruling party is not ignoring these signs of rejuvenation within the PDP. Not to be cornered, the APC too, according to reliable sources, is working round the clock to shake off the disappointment of the last general election reposition itself ahead of the 2020 governorship contest. “The PDP can make all the noise, we know our weaknesses and we are working hard to strengthen ourselves ahead of 2020. They want to take advantage of some minor disagreements within our party, but we will block all holes soon,’ a party leader assured.
PDP’S MEN
According to the state chairman of the PDP, Clement Faboyede, not less than 17 aspirants have signified their intention for the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the election. He said the high number of those who are interested in flying the flag of the party in the governorship election is an attestation to the efforts of the party at repositioning itself. “This is happening because we looked inward and worked hard to rebuild the people’s confidence and trust in our party across the state.”
Leading other aspirants is the PDP standard-bearer during the 2016 governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who recently disclosed that he will give a shot at the governorship election coming up next year in the state. Jegede, who lost the 2016 election to Akeredolu, said God has directed him to contest the 2020 governorship election. Intimating party leaders of his resolve to seek the PDP’s nomination as its gubernatorial candidate once again, Jegede said, “I am here to thank you for the support you gave me during the 2016 governorship election.
I see myself as somebody who is ready to serve. I contested the last gubernatorial election and we knew the result, the following day we went to church to thank God for how far He had helped us. Now, I consulted God Almighty again; I asked if I should go forward on this project, He answered me that I should go ahead. I am asking you whether to go ahead or not? This is not the time for the campaign. We will surely come back when the time comes. I seek your support for our great party, the PDP and appreciate you for all your efforts both during the 2016 governorship election and the last general elections. ”
Also in the race already is the National Vice Chairman of the PDP (Southwest), Eddy Olafeso. Olafeso described his move as a rescue mission, describing the present administration in the state as a disaster. “There is no government in Ondo State here. This is the state of Ajasin; it is the state of Adefarati; it is the state of Olusegun Agagu and Olusegun Mimiko. We are now witnessing a situation where students are paying from primary school level to secondary school. The tertiary institutions are far beyond the ordinary man.
“I’m a product of the Awolowo era. I won’t have been educated if there is no social welfare programme for the ordinary man on the street. They have abdicated their responsibilities and they have stepped on the head of history,” he said,
Otunba Bamidele Akingboye is another PDP chieftain in the governorship race. The businessman turned politician said he wants the mandate in next year’s election so as to change the state from the current civil service state to an industrial haven. “I am here to seek for your support in my quest to rescue this state. We have enough of potentials untapped and it will take someone who has the knowledge for it to be harnessed.
“It is high time we changed the narrative about our state being a civil service state. We need to industrialise this state with someone that can think outside the box. Governance is a serious business and we need a businessman to handle the state. I am offering myself for this onerous task and I know I have all it takes to lead the state. But I will support and work for whoever would emerge from the party’s transparent primaries in order to defeat the ruling APC in the state,” he pledged.
Among others jostling for the PDP ticket are two prominent Ilaje sons, three-term Commissioner, Sola Ebiseni and former Chairman of Ilaje Local Government, Banji Okunomo. Both are not leaving any stone unturned as they comb the nooks and crannies of the state, convincing party leaders and members of their readiness to take on the APC and its candidate, whoever that may turn out to be, next year at the polls.
DONE WITH ZONING?
Meanwhile, the party has dismissed the insinuation of zoning of the party’s ticket to a particular senatorial district area of the state; an action some party stalwarts believe may spell trouble ahead of the primaries. “They will find it difficult to zone the ticket to a particular part of the state. Check out the aspirants now in the race and you will agree with me that we have a spread that cut across the state. From the central, south and north senatorial districts, we have aspirants. So, we are considering leaving the contest open,” a party leader said.
But findings by The Nation revealed that some chieftains of the party are still lobbying for the adoption of a zoning arrangement. Inside sources claim the move is meant to provide an easy route to the ticket for one of the aspirants believed to be the preferred candidate of some national leaders of the party. “If PDP is serious about winning the next election, we have to field a candidate that can draw support for the party from our notable leaders at the national level.
“We need a lot of resources and support for the governorship election. We need visibility and personalities too. Not all the aspirants can draw Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ekweremadu to Ondo for campaigns and other programmes. We need to consider these. And if zoning the ticket to a particular area is what we need to do to get the right candidate, we will ensure that the party does that,” a chieftain of the PDP from Owo said on Thursday.
But another leader of the party from Odigbo punctured the above argument, saying it is not in the character of the PDP in Ondo State to zone its tickets. According to the former federal lawmaker, the party will allow the very best of the aspirants to emerge as the candidate. “Our party in Ondo State has never zoned its governorship seat and there is no history where you would find the party deliberately zoning its gubernatorial ticket.
We have always ensured at all times that we give visible examples to show that we are a party that promotes free and fair electoral process. We will allow all contestants regardless of the zone they come from to contest in the election. The best of them will emerge in a free and fair election. We have almost 20 aspirants at the moment. Our job as a party is to ensure that there is freedom of choice by party members as to who would become the party’s candidate.”
The Nation also gathered that there are moves by some leading chieftains of the party outside the state, especially from the camp of a former presidential candidate, to influence the emergence of a particular aspirant as the candidate of the party for the next governorship election. The said aspirant, it was learnt, may be rewarded with the ticket for working hard for the party at the last presidential election in the state. Sources within the party said the adoption of zoning is one of the avenues being considered to pave the way for the emergence of the said aspirant.
“Beyond the hearsays, I can tell you for free that the PDP as a national party is interested in what is happening in Ondo currently. Collectively, chieftains within and outside Ondo are discussing about who can win the election for us next year. Consequently, deciding who will be the candidate will not just be limited to internal factors. Some external factors will also come to play. It is a combination of all these factors and interests that will determine who will go for us,” another party source added.
HIGH HOPES
While the wait for who the candidate will be continues, many party leaders are confident that time is up for APC in the state. Former Chief of Staff to Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Kola Ademujimi, while noting that the PDP is more formidable under the current state leadership, enjoined all aspirants to join hands together to build the party. He further disclosed that the crisis rocking the ruling party in the state now is an indication that God is behind the PDP to deliver the people of the state from the ravaging poverty the current administration bestowed on the people.
PDP’s Director of Publicity, Zadok Akintoye, who accused Governor Akeredolu of deliberately sowing seeds of discord and promoting interethnic disharmony within the state ahead of the 2020 governorship election for allegedly saying it is not the turn of Akure to produce the governor of the state, called on the ruling APC to be prepared to vacate the Government House in 2020. Akintoye said in the statement “our attention has been drawn to a statement made by the governor of Ondo state, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu where he purportedly claimed that the Akure sub-ethnic unit in Ondo State is unqualified at the moment to seek the mandate of the people to lead the state.
“Our party believes it is within the right of every indigene of Ondo State to aspire and, if the people so decide, become a governor. It is not the duty of any self-imposed anti-democratic leader to undermine the right of the people. As a party, the PDP will provide a level playing field for its members across the three senatorial districts who may wish to succeed the failing and poorly performing government of APC in the state. We find it a putrid and highly condemnable comment by the governor and an attempt to pitch the people against each other for electoral gain.”
State Chairman, Faboyode, while buttressing claims by PDP chieftains ahead of the 2020 polls, said “our party parades an array of vibrant aspirants, totalling 17 in number as at now, and they are ready to contest the elections. And the worst of our aspirants is better than the best of the APC in terms of capacity and ability to deliver on governance. This is not Sherrif or Markafi period again. Our governorship primary would be transparent to promote internal democracy.”
