Barely one year ahead, activities for Ondo governorship election begin to build among competing senatorial districts in the state, Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, reports.
With 2016 election year in Ondo inching closer, the state will be at the centre of analysis again. In what seems an indication to the magnitude of the battle ahead, 14 political parties in the state, particularly the two major players, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have started putting structures in place to achieve success.
Ondo, apart from being an oil-producing state, is among the states that neither APC nor PDP would let go without a fight. The state had been ruled by Labour Party (LP) for about five years until the governor, Olusegun Mimiko, defected to PDP before the last general elections. Even with the PDP at the helm of affairs, APC has continued to express hope and confidence that it stands a better chance of ousting the ruling party in 2016 governorship election in the state. That remains to be seen, however.
But whatever the situation, both parties have their weak and strong points ahead of the election. Some challenges confronting the PDP in the build-up to the exercise include identifying a credible successor for Mimiko who will complete his two terms in February 2017.
Even with a credible candidate, analysts insist that the party needs to strike a harmonious relationship within its members in the so-called new and old PDP, in addition to winning back the electorate who now appear disenchanted with some of the policies of the Mimiko-led administration.
APC, on its part, would face the challenge of picking an acceptable governorship candidate, going by the influx of people into its rank from PDP. Most of them had their ambition for the post before defecting to the party and are still hopeful of realising same on APC platform.
The party, incidentally, is known to be in crisis whenever it is expected to go into primaries. There are, thus, predictions that it would be fight to finish between the old APC members and new entrants to the party. APC will need to look for a credible candidate that will match whoever PDP will present.
The election, which is clearly one year ahead, has triggered fresh arguments, especially on the social media, about which part of the state should produce the next governor. In the midst of the permutations, a source has cautioned against hasty conclusion that PDP is fully in control of Ondo politics going by the last general election in the state, adding that the rate of defections from its fold in the last couple of months indicate that all is not well with the party.
Chieftain of the party, Alex Akinnadeju, for instance, doubted the chances of PDP winning further election in the state, based on the activities of its leadership.
“I can say that the gap between the old and new PDP is getting wider everyday, whereas some people are saying that there is peace in the party. Unless we throw everything down and sort it out, if we go to an election like this by next year, I can assure you, APC will capture everything. If anybody is telling you that things are better than they were yesterday, the person is not telling the truth,” he said.
Although, many aspirants have expressed interest in occupying the Alagbaka Government House at the end of Mimiko’s tenure, some say it is the turn of Ondo North Senatorial District. Those who oppose this insist that the slot should go to Ondo South. Akure indigenes are also not left out, as they claim that since 1976 when the old Ondo State was created, no democratically-elected Akure indigene had had the opportunity of governing the state. They therefore argue that an indigene of the ancient town (Akure) deserves to occupy the seat, being the capital of the state.
Their argument has been that most governorship aspirants from the town have been jesters, who only help to provide comic relief on the political turf. Those with this view however fail to realise that Mimiko is from Ondo Central that Akure is part of.
Aside Akure indigenes, there have also been zoning agitations from other parts of the state, especially the Akoko who have four local governments in the Ondo North.
Although, the race is now still, Mimiko, TheNiche gathered, would want to instal his successor, and may work towards achieving the agenda.
“That is the practice in the country’s political space. And there is no sin in it, if the opposition allows him. Anybody who thinks Governor Mimiko has exhausted his bag of electoral tricks and strategies should allow the confounding outcome of the last House of Assembly election in the state to be his or her guide. The outcome showed that Iroko is still capable of performing electoral miracles,” volunteered a secondary school teacher in the state, who asked not to be mentioned.
Those touted as aspirants under the PDP include Solomon Oladunni, Gbenga Elegbeleye, Femi Adekanbi, Saka Lawal, Arogbofa (Chief of Staff to former President Goodluck Jonathan), Akin Adaramola, Tokunbo Kayode (North), Jimoh Ibrahim, Pius Osunyikanmi and Sola Ebiseni from South.
APC has Funso Kupolokun, Tunji Abayomi, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, Olurotimi Akeredolu, Jamiu Ekungba, Jide Ipinsaba, Victor Olabimtan, Niran Sule Akinsuyi, Olusegun Abraham, Gani Dauda, Sola Amodeni, Segun Ojo, Oluwole Ojo and Demola Ijabiyi (North).
Femi Agagu, Olusola Oke and Paul Akintelure are from Ondo South, while Tayo Alasoadua is from Ondo Central.