Bisi Akande,ACN National Chairman
The parties are the ruling Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Prior to the announcement of the date, many people had thought the election would not be held until around December, going by the provisions of the Electoral Act that elections should not be held not more than 60 days before inauguration. However, the announcement of the December date by INEC has made the political parties put more efforts in their quest to win the election. It has also put preparations by aspirants on a fast track, as they all put in final touches to their moves.
The three political parties are all involved in political manoeuvrings and permutation. But the situation in the ACN appears more pronounced as members of the party, who have always seen their parties as an alternative to the ruling party in the state have begun jostling for the top post.
Still basking in the euphoria of the success of the party in the 2011 general election in the South-West, where it won all the states except Ondo, the party parades the largest number of aspirants intending to chase the incumbent governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, out of the Alagbaka Government House. It is the belief of many of the party members that since the party was able to do it in other states of the region, it will repeat the same feat on October 20; so, many of the leaders of the party signified their intention to run to benefit from its good run in the region.
At the last count, about 25 people have been listed to be interested in the gubernatorial seat. While some of them have publicly declared their intention, some have rented and decorated offices, some are making noise about their ambition with posters in the major streets of the state capital. Already, the state seemed saturated with contenders, all lobbying for the votes of the electorate to contest the number one seat in the state.
Among those that are in the race include former Minister of Defence (Navy), Dr Olu Agunloye; a senator in the Second Republic, Senator Olorunnimbe Farunkanmi; human rights lawyer, Dr Tunji Abayomi; the immediate past chairman of the party in the state, Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose; senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Professor Ajayi Boroffice; former national president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; a former chairman of ACN in the state, Sola Iji; a former senator that represented Ondo South Senatorial District, Omololu Meroyi and a former member of the House of Representatives, Jayeola Ajata.
The other contenders for the race for the governorship seat in the state are a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, former commissioners for finance under the Adebayo Adefarati regime, namely Segun Ojo, Saka Lawal, who is a former aide to Mimiko; Olusegun Abraham, the member representing Akure South/Akure North in the House of Representatives; Ifedayo Abegunde, Rawa Felix, the immediate past Commissioner for finance in the state; Wale Akinterinwa, a former director of Trade Bank, Alhaji Jamiu Ekangba, Olayato Aribo.
However, the large number of aspirants from the party portrays different meanings to different people, depending on the angle from which one looks at the scenario in the state. To the adherents of the party, the number portrays the acceptability of the party by the people of the state. However, some opinion experts outside the party have insisted that the number would soon be an albatross on the political ambition of the party, as it will need more than permutations to solve the post primaries or selection crisis that is likely to brew after the party might have settled for its candidate.
Speaking at one of the political gatherings of the party, the Ondo State ACN Treasurer, Ade Adetimehin, said those expecting the party to disintegrate after the choice of its candidate would be surprised at the level of unity that would come with the selection of the candidate. He said the large number of people jostling for the ticket of the party was a sign that the people of the state had embraced the ACN as the only alternative to the ruling LP in the state. According to him, the development had shown that it is only in the ACN that democracy is being practised. Adetimehin said in real democracy, the people should be given the opportunity to express themselves and also be allowed to pursue their ambition without fear of any hindrance from any quarter.
Large as the aspirants of the party are, some of them have publicly told the people of the state of their intension to run and among those that have done that were Abayomi, Boroffice, Farunkanmi, Moroyi, Oluwole, Akeredolu, with each of them pointing out certain things that they felt were wrong with the present system in the state and which they believed they have solutions to.
One important thing is the distribution of the aspirants among the three senatorial districts of the state with the people from each of the district putting forward arguments to back their ambitions.
Majority of the people are from the Ondo North Senatorial District of the state which comprises of the four local government areas in Akokoland. These include Akoko South-West, Akoko South-East, Akoko North-West and Akoko North-East, it also has Owo and Ose.
The argument of the aspirants from the district is that it is the turn of the North to produce the next governor. The first governor in this dispensation, Adefarati, was from the North. Dr Olusegun Agagu, who succeeded him, is from the southern senatorial district, while the incumbent governor, Mimiko, is from the central senatorial district. That is the reason why the northern senatorial district is parading a large number of aspirants with Akokoland having the highest number. However, selecting a candidate among the pack from this senatorial district would be a big task for the party that is not noted for conducting primaries to choose its candidates.
Within the four Akoko local government areas, some of the contenders have been trying to agitate for the consideration of Akoko North-West/North-East federal constituency, saying that the constituency had not occupied any of the major posts zoned to Akokoland. They argued that the last governor from the zone was from Akoko South-West/South-East federal constituency, while the incumbent deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, is also from the constituency.
Abayomi had argued that since this is the situation, it was only logical for the leadership of the party to zone the party’s ticket to the North-West/North-East federal constituency.
While this argument was ongoing, the people of Owo/Ose federal constituency in the party also believed it is their turn to produce the next governor, saying that Adefarati that was from the senatorial district was an Akoko man. This explains that ambition of Anifowose, who is a daughter of the former governor of old Ondo State, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Akeredolu, Ekungba and Aribo, who is the only aspirant from Ose Local Government Area of the state.
While these were going on, the people of the central senatorial district that are in the race believe considerations should be given to the old divisional arrangement where the state had Ondo division, Okitipupa division, Akoko division and Akure division. Coincidentally, the three aspirants from the senatorial district, Alasoadura, Farunkanmi and Abegunde are from Akure division.
The people argued that out of the four divisions in the state, only Akure division has not produced the governor, claiming that Okitipupa division produced Agagu, Ondo division produced Mimiko, while Akoko division produced Adefarati.
But those from the southern senatorial district, which include Meroyi, Akinterinwa and Iji, believe the choice of the party’s candidate should not be limited to a particular district as merit should not be sacrificed for zoning.
Also speaking during the resignation of Anifowose as the party chairman, the state secretary of the party, Gboyega Adedipe, said the party would face no problem in settling down for a candidate before the gubernatorial election. He also said there is unity of purpose among the aspirants to the extent that there would be no crisis to manage after one of them emerges as the standard-bearer of the party.
However, in spite of the assurances from the leaders of the party, it is obvious that much still has to be done to ensure that the party does not disintegrate after the selection of the candidate. Many of the members of the party are strange bed fellows that only came together for the purpose of waging war against Mimiko and in a situation whereby they fail to emerge as the arrowhead of the struggle, it may, again, be a situation of “to your tents, oh Israel”.
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