By Emeka Alex Duru
Four years ago when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Eyitayo Jegede clashed at the governorship election in Ondo state, it was a battle of wits. They are billed to clash again on October 10. As in 2016, Akeredolu is running on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Jegede is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Both emerged flag bearers of their parties in their primaries that were concluded a couple of days ago.
Jegede polled 888 votes to defeat his closest rival and incumbent Deputy Governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi who garnered 657 votes and other seven aspirants. Akeredolu scored 2,458 votes, defeating seven other aspirants. His closest rival, Olusola Oke, came second with 262 votes.
Akeredolu and Jegede are evenly matched, in a fair contest. They have the name, the reputation and solid platforms. They earned big names in the legal profession, capping it with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Though there are other political parties and candidates for the office, the contest is basically between the two. Winning the election means a lot to either of the contestants. Shun of manipulations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other agencies of the state, the election promises to be a tough task for the candidates.
Jegede seeks revenge
For Jegede in particular, the election will go a long way in situating his standing and reception in Ondo politics. At the 2016 contest, he was seen as running under the shadow of the then governor, Olusegun Mimiko, who he served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Part of the insinuations against him then was that his candidacy was a subtle extension of the Mimiko era. The October poll offers him the opportunity to prove that he can stand on his own and be judged on his person by the Ondo electorate. It is an opportunity for avenging his loss to Akeredolu in 2016. His fidelity to the PDP even after losing the governorship contest four years ago, speaks on his level of consistency in a given cause. Perhaps, that accounted for his coming tops in the primary, over the Deputy Governor.
Jegede is from Akure, a section of the state that has cried marginalisation since the creation of Ondo. That may draw sympathy for him. He has also identified some aspects of governance that he accuses the Akeredolu administration of not giving adequate attention. With the mantra of righting the wrongs of the government, he looks forward to fair chances from the voters.
Emerging victorious in the poll, equally means much for the PDP. The party, currently does not have any state in its column in the South West. Until it was dislodged in the last elections in Ekiti and Ondo, it was in control of affairs in the two. In the build-up to the 2023 politics, PDP needs a foothold in the region to give the APC a serious battle. With the relative peace in the party that resulted in hitch-free primary, Jegede will be further emboldened for the race. Again, depending on how well the fall-outs of the primary are handled, the PDP candidate may reap from the bloc votes of disaffected former members of the APC who left the party with Ajayi, the deputy governor. The inability of the state legislature to press ahead with Ajayi’s impeachment after falling out with Akeredolu, tells much on his stature in Ondo. With the Ajayi factor, Jegede can make strong impacts and even cause upsets on October 10.
Akeredolu runs on continuity
Akeredolu does not have the luxury of relying on the so-called incumbency factor. Locking horns again with Jegede can be quite challenging, knowing that the PDP candidate is not a push-over. He is expected to run his campaign on continuing the good policy initiatives of the administration. He will, for instance, be expected point at the developments that have taken place in the state in the past three and half years that he has called the shots especially in upgrading infrastructure in the education and other sectors.
Also, for a man that has stood with APC right from its Alliance for Democracy (AD) days, he can flaunt the credential of reliability before the Ondo electorate. He has also successfully asserted himself as a man of his own and the leader of the party in the state. His rapport with Olusegun Abraham, who almost stood as obstacle to him in 2016, may come handy for him. Being a member of the ruling APC, is also, ordinarily supposed to stand for him in retaining the state to the mainstream politics of the country.
On the contrary, the governor has a burden of seeking another term on the ticket of a party which since winning at the national level in 2015 and 2019, is yet to get is acts correct. Aside internal crisis that has almost torn APC apart at various levels, the party is yet to come up with policies that can impact meaningfully on the people. With increasing difficulties in the land, the momentous applause that greeted APC one and half years ago, is increasingly turning to jeers whenever the party is mentioned these days. The change mantra with which it won the heart and head of the people, is now, mocked as clog against the country’s development. The deepening economic uncertainties in the land, deteriorating security challenges and general high cost of living, are among the considerations that call to question, the managerial capabilities of the handlers of the party at all layers of its leadership. Such disappointing scenarios also play out in Ondo in some measures.
These are issues that Akeredolu may be confronted with. They are also matters that Jegede will play up in the days leading to the October 10 poll in the state.