Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko
Since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the date for the Ondo State governorship poll, there have been heightened political activities in the state, SUNDAY ABORISADE reports
Individuals wishing to contest the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State under the three main political parties in the state have been carrying out a series of activities that have heightened the political tempo, since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced October 20 as the date for the poll.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that radio and television jingles were being sponsored by the aspirants canvassing support for their political parties. A few of them have organised rallies to formally declare their intentions.
Billboards and posters produced by the various aspirants have also surfaced in many parts of the state, particularly in Akure, the state capital and other major towns in the state.
Further checks also showed that more aspirants had declared their intentions particularly in the Peoples Democratic Party and the Action Congress of Nigeria since the announcement.
As at the last count, no fewer than 30 aspirants had either publicly declared their governorship ambition or had printed posters, announcing their participation in the race.
Those who have openly declared their ambition to contest on the platform of the ACN are Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN; Chief Jamiu Ekungba; Senator Olorunnimbe Farunkanmi; Mr. Saka Lawal; Dr. Olu Agunloye; Chief Tayo Alasoadura; Prof. Ajayi Boroffice; Mr. Jaiyeola Ajatta; daughter of the late Afenifere leader, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose; and Mr. Festus Oluwole.
Others are Mr. Rawa Felix; Mr. Wale Akinterinwa; Chief Sola Iji; Senator Omololu Meroyi; Mr. Ifedayo Abegunde; Chief Segun Ojo; Mr. Segun Abraham; and Mr. Olayato Aribo among others.
Those who had signified their intention to contest on the platform of the PDP include Chief Alaba Isijola; Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim; Mr. Joseph Adeusi; Mr. Ayo Olorunfemi; Mr. Victor Olabimtan; Mr. Moyosola Niran-Oladunni and Chief Olusola Oke, among others.
Apart from the incumbent governor, Olusegun Mimiko, only one aspirant, Mr. Francis Ogunjumelo, had so far signified his intention to contest the election on the platform of the Labour Party.
At the moment, only the LP seems to be carrying out its underground moves in the best organised manner. Already the various executives of the party at the local government and ward levels have adopted Mimiko for a second term in office and had started serious membership drive in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
Investigations also showed that the underground moves to lobby some eminent political figures from other parties to join the LP had started with all the political office holders allegedly mandated to begin aggressive ‘soul winning’ activities.
Top government functionaries also confirmed to our correspondent that the state government will soon start a massive inauguration of projects scattered in the rural and urban centres across the state.
It was also gathered that contractors handling projects considered to be very slow had been given marching order while some had their contract revoked on account of poor performance.
The internal crisis that is rocking the PDP over the outcome of its congress in the state which led to the emergence of parallel executives, notwithstanding, aspirants on its platform have intensified efforts at convincing the electorate that they are the ones to beat.
Many people, however, believe that the battle would be a straight one between the ACN and the LP because of the crisis in PDP.
However, some PDP leaders are currently of the opinion that the party would spring surprise in the forthcoming election because the leadership tussle would soon fizzle out.
The ability of the ACN leadership to manage its 30 aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket and pick the best without rancor, would, to a great extent, determine the party’s performance in the poll.
Meanwhile, the three main political parties have expressed their readiness for the exercise and their preparedness to occupy the Alagbaka Government House come February 23 next year.
The Director, Publicity and Research of the LP in the state, Mr. Koye Odogiyon, said the party was ready for the election.
He said, “The opposition will not only lose the election, but they shall lose their deposit, as they deploy the same manipulative strategy every where, and we are acquainted with all their styles and fraudulent formulae and we shall continually expose them, so that the people of Ondo State will not be deprived of continuity in the good governance the LP has deployed in the state in this first tenure of Dr. Mimiko.
“Whatever index is chosen to measure the victorious party, we are only far ahead, for they are purely hypothetical in all they claim to be in all the states they currently govern.
“Through his implementation of party ideologies, sustaining public trust, performance parameters, status, pedigree and experience, Governor Mimiko, who the people of Ondo state is asking to run for a second term and his party are ahead.
“In that wise, victory is certain for Ondo State people, their future is guaranteed and the good work would not only be sustained, but continued in a world class benchmarking standard by the singular choice of their returning Governor Mimiko for a second term in office.”
In his own reaction, the ACN Treasurer and Chairman, Contact and Mobilisation Committee, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, said the party was fully prepared for the election.
“We are fully prepared. We have been working before now. We have covered the entire 3,009 polling units in the 302 wards of the state and have our men in all the units.
“ACN is a party of reckoning. It is a party that had been in existence for long. We are not a one man party. The party had been transforming from the Action Group to the Unity Party of Nigeria, the Social Democratic Party, the Alliance for Democracy and now the Action Congress of Nigeria,” Adetimehin stated.
The party chieftain said the high number of the aspirants was not a problem to the party but a confirmation that everybody was yearning for a change in the administration of the state.
Adetimehin said the party leaders would soon meet and decide on the modalities for the emergence of the party’s candidate, adding that the ACN is a family with five cardinal programmes.
Although the elected chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Ebenezer Alabi said the party had been mobilising its members for the election to ensure that it emerged victorious in the election, the factional chairman, Dr. Akin Olowookere, believes that the crisis may deny the party, an opportunity to field a candidate.
Alabi said leaders and members of the party had been meeting at the senatorial level to fine-tune arrangement for the election. The chairman said the candidate of the party could come from any of the three senatorial districts of the state since all the zones had had their shot in the governorship of the state.
He said what looked like a faction in the party was nothing but a demonstration of the anger by some aggrieved members expressing the hope that the matter would soon be resolved amicably, Alabi added, “We have been doing everything possible to reconcile and if truly they are for the interest of the party, they will agree with us. We cannot afford to quarrel now. We had it once and we resolved, so we will resolve this one also.”
Olowookere, however, said the internal crisis within the party which had become a subject of litigation, might linger beyond October 20 and may prevent the party from producing a candidate.
With the governorship poll fast approaching, the sunshine state will witness more political activities in the coming months.
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