Ondo APC primary election: Morning after
By Tiko Okoye
This columnist takes his responsibilities to the reading publics very seriously and would usually not spend time discussing an ‘ordinary’ governorship primary of a political party. But there isn’t anything ordinary about the recently-conducted Ondo State governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as it took several twists and turns, culminating in an epic tale of mystery and suspense. But let me simply allow you, the reader, to verify your experience and draw your own conclusions.
The galaxy of touted political heavyweights that contested the Ondo State APC governorship primary election held on Saturday, 20 April 2024, included household names such as Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a serial party defector and gubernatorial contestant, Barrister Olusola Oke, Mayowa Akinfolarin. Others included the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and 11 others. Polling resumed the next day, Sunday, in most wards in Ondo South zone due to the widespread acts of brigandage ad violence that attended the election the previous day.
At the end of the day, all those with perceived political clout claiming to be experienced veterans with name recognition in the business of contesting elections in ‘the Sunshine State’ were put to the test and the electoral outcome didn’t match their spurious claims. They were left biting the dust as Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s luck held firm. Out of a total of 95,178 valid votes cast, Aiyedatiwa clinched the ticket with 48,569 votes to defeat Akinfolarin who hugged a distant second position with 15,343 votes.
Other supposedly popular politicians in the state like Oke and Ibrahim came third and fourth with 14,865 votes and 9,456 votes respectively. Aiyedatiwa won in 17 out of the 18 LGAs in the state – losing Ilaje LGA – where Oke hails from – by just 26 votes.
The relatively poor performance of Sen. Ibrahim was most surprising of the lot. Taking his rather controversial forays in the business world and mercurial nature into account, Ibrahim is indisputably Nigeria’s incarnation of former POTUS Donald Trump as the grandmaster of the Art of the Deal. Unfortunately, he didn’t get along with the demised Aketi Rotimi Akeredolu in the latter days of his abridged second term in office.
It was said that Gov. Akeredolu was strongly opposed to being succeeded by Ibrahim, rendering some credibility to Ibrahim’s later claim that Akeredolu’s demise would enhance the possibility of him emerging as the next elected governor. Here’s what he said: Maybe the death of Aketi has enhanced my chances. Because Aketi is a human being, he can be subjectively objective at the last minute. But now that he is no more, that possibility is written off completely. So whoever is there (and) wants to run for governor will meet me at the field.
But arguably the most surprising to me was the rather poor performance of Oke. There can be no doubting that he has earned his spurs in the APC since defecting from the PDP. He was solidly in President Bola Tinubu’s corner while he was striving against daunting odds foisted in his path to clinching the party’s presidential ticket by powers at the highest echelons of the party and the presidency. He was also one of the senior lawyers who handled the election petition lawsuits filed against Akeredolu by the PDP and its losing candidate, Barrister Eyitayo Jegede, in 2016 and 2020. I’m fully persuaded that if Akeredolu was minded to throw his weight behind anyone aspiring to succeed him, he would’ve picked Oke, in which case the former’s unexpected death would’ve come as a major blow to the his ambition. Maybe not.
There’s Duerimini Isaac Kekemeke, an early defector from the PDP, polished public servant and political juggernaut by every definition of the phrase. He has served as the Commissioner for Works, Lands, Housing and Transportation; Secretary to the Government of Ondo State; pioneer Chairman of the Ondo State chapter of the APC; and APC National Vice Chairman (South-West). He effectively used the leverage the last post provided to lead and mobilize other members of the national working committee (NWC) to tenaciously resist the imposition of a consensus presidential candidate that would scheme out Tinubu.
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Still, it must be noted that – as English clergyman and writer Caleb Colton surmised – In politics as in religion, it so happens that we have less charity for those who believe the half of our creed, than for those that deny the whole of it. It’s very probable that Akeredolu never really wanted both Oke and Kekemeke to succeed him, considering their proximity to Tinubu!
It must be remembered that Akeredolu was one of a triad of serving and former governors in the South-West – the other two being Ekiti’s Kayode Fayemi and Ogun’s Ibikunle Amosun – in tow with Kaduna’s Nasir el-Rufa’i, who kept using their deep connections with the Aso Rock cabal to give Tinubu his comeuppance at every given opportunity. If and when Akeredolu had a change of heart are questions for another day.
The commencement of impeachment proceedings against Aiyedatiwa by the Ondo State House of Assembly had Aketi’s imprimatur writ large. Hardly anyone outside their closely-knit political circle can tell with absolute certainty what caused the parting of ways and when it happened, but it’s an open secret that there was no love lost between Akeredolu and his deputy, Aiyedatiwa, towards the end of the former’s truncated tenure. Aketi travelled overseas for medical treatment without providing the House of Assembly with a Letter of Transmittal of Authority as enshrined in the constitution.
It took President Tinubu’s dogged intervention to broker a truce between the warring camps, and it took the platform of a “Doctrine of Necessity” and a signed ‘pre-nuptial agreement’ before Ayedatiwa could be sworn in as acting governor. It was crystal-clear that Akeredolu’s political family – led by his wife, Betty – were dead set on preventing Aiyedatiwa from occupying the Alagbaka Government House in Akure.
If I guessed correctly that Akeredolu looked askance at ambitions by Aiyedatiwa, Ibrahim, Oke and Kekemeke to succeed him, then that only leaves us with Wale Akinterinwa, serving Commissioner for Finance under Akeredolu who was arrested and harassed more than once by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a way of getting to his principal, just like the case of then-Rivers State Gov. Nyesom Nwike and his Accountant General, Sim Fubara. But the man died!
The press release issued by Akeredolu’s widow, Betty, after the results were announced removes any doubt about the dislike, bordering on visceral hate, that the late governor’s political family feels for Aiyedatiwa. Said she: It was like Aketi’s adversaries have succeeded in urinating on his grave with relish. The hands of professional riggers known and unknown were all over the place. Without credible elections, Nigeria will continue to crawl with disabilities in leadership given that the power interlopers at the helm of affairs lack character, compassion, sincerity of purpose, mental and intellectual capacities for providing quality leadership required to stand firm and engage in impactful developmental strides.
The foregoing are pretty harsh words that may represent a not-too-subtle dig at Tinubu who the buzzing rumour mill singled out as backing Aiyedatiwa in the primary election through the instrumentality of his chief staff, Barrister Femi Gbajabiamila.
My point of departure with Betty came when she allowed her emotions and hostilities to boil over and saying that, Sadly Nigeria is a ZOO! The capital letters are hers. It smacked of the height of impudence, indiscretion and flippancy. It’s a treasonable characterisation no one directly or indirectly connected to a position of authority and responsibility in Nigeria should venture to make, especially in view of the very bad optics. That phrase was coined by the founder of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) secessionist organisation, Nnamdi Kanu, now, rightly or wrongly, on trial for treasonable felony.
Betty is an indigene of Imo State married to a scion of the Akeredolu family in Owo. The high position she has attained, coupled with her inter-tribal marriage, ought to have made her tread very cautiously and not wear her emotions on the helm of her blouse. Quite predictably, IPOBians – a good majority of who are also very ‘Obidient’ – rushed to social media sites to extol her ‘candour’ and ‘courage.’ They were immediately countered by Yoruba netizens who deemed it imperative to return fusillades of abuses and curses to the former group.
The number of Yoruba commentators who had all the while supported Betty in her ‘crusade’ but have now started turning against her is increasing by leaps and bounds. The only option open to her under the extenuating circumstances is to issue another press release conceding that she misspoke herself – but don’t hold your breath.
It gets even curiouser and curiouser. Betty and other members of the Aketi political family keep accusing Aiyedatiwa of disloyalty and betrayal. Yet, in the course of his state-wide campaigns, Aiyedatiwa stopped over at the palace of the paramount ruler of Owo kingdom, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye III, and here’s what the revered monarch unambiguously posited: Since your tenure as deputy governor of Ondo State, you (Aiyedatiwa) have shown your love for Owo. You did not only show loyalty to your former principal, you have been sustaining his legacies. The people of Owo have no option than to support you to continue as governor of the state. It just doesn’t add up, not unless Betty is roping the Olowo into the ignominious circle of “known and unknown professional election riggers.”
