Ondo Guber Poll: Agboola, 15 Other Candidates Move to Unseat Aiyedatiwa

Fidelis David reports that the people of the sunshine state are optimistic that the forthcoming governorship poll among 17 political parties’ candidates in the state including incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, will be a catalyst to the speedy transformation of the state and ultimately free the people from evils of want, ignorance, social injustice and economic exploitation.

The traditional carver knows what he’s doing when he doesn’t just get up to cut a tree to work with. He believes in the appropriateness of pacifying the soul of the tree first, to explain to it why he has to end the tree’s life by cutting it down.

Besides, political experts believe that the major deficiency in Nigeria’s political organisation seems to be the lack of internal democracy within  political parties themselves, as many factions in competition for leadership slots within these parties strive to distort local arrangements.

These are done through devious schemes and intrigues in the selection of candidates for elective posts, including tinkering with the processes of choosing delegates, and the staging of rival congresses.

These are archetypal to the political situation in Ondo State ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

Jimoh Ibrahim’s Swift Twist

Last week, the Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim, withdrew the suit he instituted in court against the governor of the coastal State and the  candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 16 governorship poll  in the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, marking a farewell to the pre-primary and post-primary discord with the governor.

This came days after the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, approved the request of the APC to transfer the case filed by Ibrahim against Aiyedatiwa from Abuja to the Akure Division for hearing.

Specifically, in a letter written to the Chief Judge by Matthew Burkaa SAN, counsel to APC and the 1st Respondent in the suit, the convenience of the parties was cited as the reason for the transfer, since the plaintiff and defendants are based in Ondo State. Additionally, there is a Federal High Court in the state.

Ibrahim had instituted the suit at the Abuja Division of the Court on May 3, 2024, seeking to void the primary election that produced Governor Aiyedatiwa as the candidate of the party for the November election.

However, in a swift twist, the plaintiff  said his decision was due to the President Bola Tinubu’s intervention and the respect he has for the President.

He stated: “This suit is now withdrawn due to the intervention of President Bola Tinubu. The president called me, had a meeting with me, and assured me he will, as the leader of the party, improve internal democracy within our party. I will need to withdraw the case to enable him to chart a way forward. The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, earlier visited my Asokoro residence for several hours after another unsuccessful visit to my hotel room in Akure.

“I cannot disobey the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the issue I am fighting for is not personal. It is simply to improve internal democracy, which the President has promised to enhance. My respect for the President is absolute!”

Coinciding with President Tinubu’s first anniversary in office, Ibrahim described the withdrawal of the lawsuit as a “gift of the ‘cake’ of the first anniversary.”

Unsubstantiated Claims of no Primary Election

Reacting to the development,  Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Dr Kayode Ajulo (SAN), hailed the legal team defending Governor Aiyedatiwa, INEC and APC for their robust and persuasive defense, which he said, “demonstrated Governor Aiyedatiwa’s legitimacy as the duly elected APC candidate.

“With unwavering conviction, the defence team presented an unassailable defence, bolstered by meticulous forensic analysis of facts and figures, which unequivocally established Governor Aiyedatiwa as the party’s unequivocal choice. This masterful presentation left no room for doubt, utterly demolishing the baseless claims of no Direct Primary Election by the APC in Ondo State, and silencing all opposition with the weight of irrefutable evidence.”

In view of the above, seemingly, the APC is wholly united and ready for the governorship election but other political observers believe that Ibrahim’s decision doesn’t mean that all the internal wranglings in the party have been settled.

It is often said that the affairs of the heart are difficult to fathom, the hearts of men do not open up to each other like mole holes, and the affairs of the heart are a dense forest which no one can penetrate but some people believe that Ibrahim and other aggrieved members of the party will rather stay aloof than working for Aiyedatiwa in the coming poll.

Besides, the confirmation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that 17 political parties met the May 20, 2024 deadline for submission of the list of candidates and deputies as specified in its guidelines makes the preparation more interesting.

The development implies that 17 political parties met the Monday, May 20, INEC deadline for the submission of candidates list by the participating parties.

Findings also show that out of 1,991,344 registered voters in the state, a total of 1,729,641 have collected their PVCs. With the figure, no fewer than 261,703 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected.

Participating Political Parties

The parties’ governorship candidates with their deputies include – All Progressives Congress, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami; People’s Democratic Party, Agboola Ajayi, deputy, Samuel Ogunmusi; Accord Party, Ajibola Falaiye, deputy, Samuel lkuyajolu; Action Alliance, Omolere Akinuli, deputy, Oluwatosin Adeyemi; African Action Congress, Oluwaseyi Ajayi, deputy, Abiodun Lijofi; All Progressive Grand Alliance, Olatunji Popoola, deputy, Ayorinde Adedeji, and Allied Peoples Movement, lsaac Ogunfeyimi, deputy, Arowolo Afolabi.

Others are Action Peoples Party, Babatunde Fadoju, deputy, Olarewaju Ajagunna; African Democratic Congress, Adeyemi Nejo, deputy, Rasheed Ibrahim; Labour Party, Ayodele Olorunfemi, deputy, Olabisi Adu; New Nigeria People’s Party, Oluwatosin Ayeni, deputy, Abike Omoyugbo; and Peoples Redemption Party, Babatunde Alli, deputy, Olusegun Famesa.

Also on the list are Social Democratic Party, Olusegun Oyebolu, deputy, Gift Dada; Young Progressives Party, Otitoloju Akinmurele, deputy, Ayodele Obe; Youth Party, Kehinde Adegoke, deputy, Otitoleke Olupitan; and Zenith Labour Party, Abbas Mimiko, deputy, Opeyemi Fadoju.

According to the electoral body, the final list of candidates will be published on June 18, 2024 while the campaign in public by political parties commences on 19th June 2024 and ends 24 hours to election day on 14th November 2024,”.

Olayide Adelami, a Placeholder?

On January 24, 2024,  Governor  Aiyedatiwa, pulled a smart move, when he announced the nomination of a deputy, Olayide Owolabi Adelami, former Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, from the same Owo Local Government as late governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

The move came almost a month after Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as the governor following the death of Akeredolu, on December 27, after battling cancer for several months.

However, some analysts, however, wondered if Adelami is a placeholder? Particularly, they believe that his renomination as running mate to Aiyedatiwa in the forthcoming poll is synonymous to altering the political calculation in the state.

They believe that it would have been wise and smart if the governor had picked a running mate from the central senatorial district comprising Akure South, Akure North, Ondo East, Ondo West, Ifedore and Idanre LGAs.

But, others who are opposed to the view questioned if running mate has ever change the dynamics of Ondo politics? According to them, no governor in Ondo State has produced his successor.

To them, Adelami contested the 2020 governorship election in Ondo State on the platform of APC, saying he’s a grassroot politician who understands the politics of the coastal state, thus, will be a plus for the aspiration of APC in forthcoming poll. “What is fated to be yours will always belong to you!!”, they say.

Agboola Ajayi

For the People’s Democratic Party, political observers believe that it was a wise decision for Agboola Ajayi, to use Samuel Ogunmusi as a placeholder but presumed that the PDP might pick a running mate from the central senatorial district.

Labour Party

Also, the recent statement by the Chairman of Labour Party Governorship Primaries in Ondo State, Mr Olusola Ayodele announcing the resolve of Labour Party to take back Ondo State in the forthcoming poll with it’s candidate, Ayodele Olorunfemi and his running mate, Olabisi Adu has literarily been a threat which the two major political parties wouldn’t want to treat with levity.

Be that as it may, there are permutations as to the chances of the candidates but for the two major political parties, PDP and APC, their candidates –  Agboola and Aiyedatiwa – have striking similarities.

The two are from the southern senatorial district of the Sunshine State. The former is from Ese-Odo while the latter is from Ilaje local government area and they both served as deputy governor at various times during the seven-year tenure of late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

Political pundits also believe that the only constant thing in life is change, thus, it’s too early to predict where the pendulum will swing come November 16.

All these not withstanding, the people of the coastal are hopeful that the forthcoming governorship poll will be a catalyst to the speedy transformation of the state and ultimately free the people from evils of want, ignorance, social injustice and economic exploitation.