Ondo: Controversy over replacement of Interior Minister, Tunji-Ojo in House of Reps
By Emma Ogbuehi
A major controversy has broken out in the Akoko North federal constituency over which local government to present the candidate to replace the former occupier of the office who has been appointed as Minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass has declared the seat of Bunmi Tunji-Ojo that represented Akoko Northeast/Northwest federal constituency vacant following his appointment as a Minister.
Tunji-Ojo won reelection as a member of the House of Representatives representing Akoko Northeast/Northwest federal constituency in the National Assembly. He was said to have performed creditable well to deserve reelection.
The reelection of Tunji-Ojo was the first time since the beginning of the present political dispensation in 1999 when a member of the House of Representatives would get reelected for a second term in office.
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Between 1999 and 2003, Busari Dada from Akoko Northeast local government was elected on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) into the National Assembly. He was replaced by Lanre Adeyemi from Irun-Akoko in the Akoko Northwest council area. He lost his reelection bid even though the AD gave him a return ticket for a second term.
Adeyemi was defeated by Gbenga Elegbeleye who represented the federal constituency between 2007 and 2011. Efforts by Elegbeleye to get reelected also failed even though he got the ticket of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Elegbeleye was defeated by Ganny Dauda of the Labour Party (LP) from the Akoko Northwest local government. Aware of the zoning arrangement, Dauda who was in the National Assembly between 2011 and 2015 did not seek reelection.
Dauda paved the way for Stephen Olemija from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko Northeast local government between 2015 and 2019 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although Olemija wanted to seek reelection on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he was defeated by Tunji-Ojo who was in the National Assembly between 2019 and 2023. Tunji-Ojo broke the jinx of reelection in 2003 when he earned a return to the House.
However, this victory was short-lived as the former lawmaker was appointed as a Minister and posted to the Interior Ministry, leaving the seat vacant for either a representative from Akoko Northeast or Akoko Northwest.
The aspirants from Akoko Northwest have argued that since the Senator for Ondo North senatorial district is from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko Northeast, it is logical for the council area to yield the House of Representatives to them.
However, the aspirants from Akoko Northwest believe that the senatorial seat is for six local governments while the House of Representatives seat is strictly an arrangement between two local governments.
The aspirants from the two major political parties; the PDP and APC are pushing for separate arguments on which local government should present the candidate to replace Tunji-Ojo in the National Assembly. How the controversy would be resolved, remains dicey.