The Ondo State political atmosphere, in recent weeks, was overshadowed by the antics of the state’s political class, causing pundits to predict a chaotic primary election, especially for the leading political parties, ahead of the governorship election to be held on November 16, this year.
Evidently, the election has since shaped up to be a straight battle between the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), and the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), a former ruling party in the South West state.
The primary elections of the parties have come and gone but rancorous outcomes have set an uphill task for their candidates.
Although some relatively smaller parties conducted rancour-free primaries, pundits aver that only a major upset would make any of them win the election.
However, the outcome of the primaries in APC and PDP appears to have complicated internal crises within their folds before the party elections.
APC
The incumbent, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, won the APC primary election. He clinched the ticket by amassing a total of 48,569 votes. His closest contender, Mayowa Akinfolarin, trailed with 15,343 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke secured the third position with 14,865 votes.
The announcement was made by the chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo.
Ododo, describing the primaries as a rigorous contest, said it was held across the 18 council areas of the state, and that party members and supporters participated.
However, the party’s returning officer for the local government, Oliver Okpala, said there were no results from the Ifedore local government area because the exercise was violently disrupted by thugs on Saturday.
He said they escaped from the community following plans by thugs to attack them. “There was shooting and violence when we came and the voters were scattered and returned to their homes for fear of being attacked.
“There was no election in the local government because we had to leave and I recorded zero for all the aspirants,” Mr Okpala said.
Violence was also reported in Ilaje local government area where an electoral officer and a commissioner were abducted by hoodlums. They were later released following efforts by security agencies.
Despite the violent incidents, Ododo said reports from the field revealed that the primary election went on peacefully, and that votes were counted and recorded.
“By the power conferred on the committee, and in line with APC guidelines for the nomination of the candidate of the party in the general election, I Ahmed Usman Ododo, Governor of Kogi State and the Chairman of the Committee and the Returning Officer of the Ondo State APC governorship primary election, held on the 20 April 2024, hereby declare that Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast in the direct primary election, is hereby returned elected and declared winner,” Ododo stated.
Prior to the announcement, Ododo had pleaded with aspirants for unity regardless who wins. But this plea didn’t work.
While the exercise was being conducted, some aspirants called for its cancellation, claiming irregularities.
The aggrieved aspirants later petitioned the national secretariat of the party in search of redress. They rejected the result and insisted the election must be canceled and repeated.
The aggrieved aspirants are Chief Olusola Oke(SAN), Wale Akinterinwa, Barrister Olugbenga Edema, Prof.Dayo Faduyile, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Hon. Jimi Odimayo and Engr. Folakemi Omogoroye.
While their supporters marched on the streets of Akure to demand the cancellation of the primaries, the aggrieved aspirants also boycotted the collation centre.
But the party candidate, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has urged aspirants to give him the needed support to win the forthcoming governorship election.
He insisted that the party election had ended “with the emergence of a candidate as declared by the Governorship Primary Election Committee, under the chairmanship of Usman Ododo, the Governor of Kogi State.”
The governor, who acknowledged the aspirants, said their participation “created so much awareness within and outside our party.”
Aiyedatiwa counselled against the holding of grudges against anyone, “but for everyone to come together to work for the success of the party so as to remain in power.”
“We will all gain in this party, though at different times, if we keep faith. I salute your courage and keen interest in leading the state towards development. It is your right and you are qualified and worthy members of our party,” he added.
The party leadership at the national level has also sought to douse the tension. While the governor has since visited the presidency to present himself as party candidate, the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, held a meeting with the aspirants at the party secretariat where he appealed to them to accept the outcome of the polls.
However, there are still issues that, if not quickly attended to, may lead to a large number of pre-election litigations.
Pundits observe that most of the aspirants, especially top contenders in the race have refused to concede defeat and are considering various means of getting “justice” including the legal option, which many, including political observers said may become a major bane to a successful election for the party.
There are fears that if the fallout from the primary is not properly handled, these aggrieved aspirants might work against the APC in the election.
PDP
The primary election of the main opposition party was also characterised by drama as the winner of the election. The exercise was majorly a tussle between the camp led by former deputy governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, and that of the former governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
No fewer than 621 delegates from the 18 local government areas of the state participated in the shadow election.
There were seven governorship aspirants in the race – Hon. Ajayi Agboola, Chief Sola Ebiseni, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, Engr. Adeolu Akinwumi, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye, Mr. Arebuwa and John Ola Mafo.
Ajayi polled 264 votes to defeat the other six aspirants, including a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, who came second with 157 votes.
Also, the former secretary general of the Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, a former Environment commissioner, came third in the contest, with 99 votes. While Engr. Adeolu Akinwumi polled 64 votes to come fourth, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye got 24 votes.
A former commissioner for Information in the state, John Ola Mafo, got nine votes and Bosun Arebuwa polled two votes.
Checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday revealed that Mimiko’s camp underrated the former deputy governor, Ajayi, having dumped him after supporting him in the 2020 governorship election on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
It was also gathered that the former Afenifere secretary general, Ebiseni, who came third in the contest, had wanted to contest the governorship election on the platform of his former party, Labour Party (LP), but was wooed by one of Mimiko’s loyalists to come to PDP with a promise that he would be given the ticket.
Political pundits observed that Ebiseni was later dumped by the former governor’s camp which supported a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Kolade Akinjo.
However, Ajayi won over party loyalists at the grassroots which ensured his victory at the primaries.
As it stands, the November 16 election is set to be majorly between, two former deputy governors to late Rotimi Akeredolu. The former governor died last year.
Ajayi fell out with Akeredolu in the buildup to the 2020 election, contested against his late boss and lost. Ayedatiwa, who replaced Ajayi, have had to battle with loyalists of Akeredolu before he emerged as substantive governor.
However, both candidates are yet to be forgiven by managers of Akeredolu’s political structure in the state.
But how influential the late governor’s camp will be in deciding the election is suspect.
