Ahead of Ondo 2016, APC’s Battle is Within
With the number of aspirants already jostling for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the October 2016 gubernatorial election in Ondo State, it is clear the real battle is at the primary, writes James Sowole
As the incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, whose administration came into office on February 5, 2009 is rounding off his constitutionally permitted eight years in office, the race for the Alagbaka, Akure Government House is now dominating the entire political environment in the Sunshine state, despite the approaching local government election in the state.
Though the election that is expected to hold in October this year is a multi-party exercise, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) members as at now, have been more active than any other political party in the state. Political observers, particularly in the opposition camp, were of the opinion that the offensive posturing of the APC might not be unconnected with the belief that the ‘wind of change’ said to be blowing across the country could berth in Ondo State.
Due to the belief of many that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is no longer popular, the leadership of APC has been encouraging its members to keep on mobilising for the forthcoming election, a development believed to be responsible for the large number of aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket. The leadership of the party was also encouraged by the increasing number of defectors from the ruling PDP to the APC.
Consequently, many aspirants have commenced mobilisation across the state and which has resulted in the emergence of groups and camps within the party with each engaging in subtle permutation and strategy on how to outwit one another. As at last count, more than 20 persons spread across the three senatorial districts had shown interest in the party’s ticket.
The list of aspirants which is increasing each day presently includes the lawmaker representing Owo/Ose Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Bode Ayorinde, who has already made public, his intention; the Senator representing Ondo North in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Professor Ajayi Borrofice; th former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Olabimtan and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Jamiu Ekungba.
Others are the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 Election, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN; lawmaker representing Ondo Central Districts, Senator Tayo Alasoadura; Chief Segun Abraham; former chairman of the party in the state and daughter of the first governor of the state, the late Adekunle Ajasin, Mrs Jumoke Anifowose; Hon Derin Adesida; Prnice Ademola Adegoroye; Foluso Adefemi and Bukola Adetula.
Also in the race are the PDP governorship candidate in the 2012 governorship election in the state, Chief Olusola Oke; Awodeyi Akinola; Niran-Sule Adesuyi; Pius Osunyinkami; son of the former Secretary to the state government, the late Chief Wumi Adegbonmire, Adeniyi Adegbonmire; Tunji Ariyomo; Dapo Adelegan; Ganny Dauda; Muyiwa Ogunleye and Wale Akingbade among others.
Already, political pundits had divided these aspirants into two groups – of aborigine and new comers. Since sentiment is a factor in politics, particularly in the sharing of political office, it is generally believed that unless the leadership of the party intervenes reasonably and appropriately, the sentiment may affect its fortune.
However, the leadership of APC had at various fora assured all members that nobody would be discriminated against irrespective of the time of joining the party. In the words of the leaders, the most important assignment at hand is that APC must win the October gubernatorial election.
Apart from the sentiment of when one joins the party, the list of aspirants can further be classified into two groups of new aspirants and returning aspirants. The returning aspirants are those who had shown interest in the gubernatorial ticket of one party or the other and those that are showing interest for the first time.
The returning aspirants are Akeredolu, Borrofice, Ekungba, Abraham, Anifowose and Adegoroye on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before it transformed into the APC. Equally, Oke and Olabimtan had in 2012 shown interest for the number one position in the state on the platform of the PDP. However, the PDP stakeholders persuaded Olabimtan and others to allow Oke to fly the party’s flag.
Another significant aspect of the APC aspirants is that not less than ten of them are from the Northern senatorial district of the state while seven of the numbers are indigenes of Owo, which is regarded as the cradle of democracy in the South-west, while the other three are from Akoko extraction.
The large number of aspirants from this district might not be unconnected with the insinuation that power should return to the Northern Senatorial District, where it started in 1999, when the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati became the governor till 2003 and since it had gone round all the three districts. Although the argument is well grounded, coupled with the fact that the APC did very well in the area during the 2015 general election, there is no indications that the argument would fly.
But the leadership of the party had been assuring all the aspirants that the party had not zoned the ticket to any town or constituency in the state. The party leadership advised all aspirants to continue their mobilisation while assuring them of free and fair primary.
Chairman of APC in the state, Hon. Isaac Kekemeke, while speaking through the state Publicity Director of the party, Steve Otaloro declared that the party had not zoned its governorship slot to any area in particular, urging all interested aspirants across the zones to embark on their campaign.
Otaloro said, “Let me say with all sense of responsibility that APC has not in any way zoned its gubernatorial election in Ondo State to any area in particular. The party leadership has however been advising whoever wants to be governor to go round the state and campaign vigorously for the primary election that has not yet been fixed.
“However, it is incumbent on the leadership of the party in the state under the leadership of Hon. Isaac Kekemeke to receive whoever is vying for this position at the party secretariat as a way of encouraging them and to trigger political activities within the party in the state so as to drive publicity for the party towards the governorship election next year.”
Despite the assurances by the chairman of the party, one important factor that may also play out during the party primaries is the issue of the aborigines and the PDP defectors. Some national leaders of the party have not been helping matters in this regard as they have been describing them as parasites that want to eat where they did not sow.
The dichotomy is a major factor that has strengthened aborigine aspirants, who have been going about telling their supporters that they have been anointed by the national leaders of the party; hence they were being referred to as the “Bourdillion Anointed”
But a member of the State Executive of APC said there will not be any anointed candidate, saying “This is a new APC, where imposition is alien to our system. We embrace internal democracy and if you look at our past election since the merger as a mega party, our candidates usually emerge through free and fair primary election.”
The assurance being echoed repeatedly at different places and time is what had been giving aspirants like Olabimtan and Oke, who defected from the PDP the confidence that the best candidate would emerge at the end of the day to fly the party’s flag and who would eventually win the gubernatorial election.
Olabimtan, who hailed from the Northern senatorial district and the same Akoko South West Local Government like Boroffice said the high number of aspirants of the party was an indication that the party is more popular and being embraced as the one that can give solution to the problem of the state.
Olabimtan was optimistic that the party’s primary would be free and fair, stating that once there is free and credible primary, all other aspirants would rally round whoever wins to ensure that the APC wins the real election.
This position of Olabimtan was shared by a member, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party and an aspirant from Owo Town, Ekungba, who said unlike the fear being expressed that the party leadership would ensure that the primary is free, fair and credible.
Despite the assurances by the chairman of the party, one important factor that may also play out during the party primaries is the issue of the aborigines and the PDP defectors. Some national leaders of the party have not been helping matters in this regard as they have been describing them as parasites that want to eat where they did not sow…The dichotomy is a major factor that has strengthened aborigine aspirants