THERE is no gainsaying the fact that the battle for the next year’s governorship election in Ondo state has commenced with various political gladiators in the state working round the clock to ensure that they have the day.
The election which holds in October, 2016 is expected to be a test of power between the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and other political leaders in the state, especially those from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mimiko who is believed to be the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and a political juggernaut in the Sunshine state, having won the governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) is however facing serious battles from both within his political party, the PDP and the major opposition party in the state, the APC.
Some members of the PDP in the state believe that Mimiko is a new entrant in the party and could therefore not dictate who succeeds him.
This has no doubt caused internal rancor for the PDP in the state, even as some members of the party are said to have shifted their loyalty for Mimiko for other leaders of the party.
Already, a faction of the PDP in the state is led by a business mogul, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim while the new PDP in the state comprising of the loyalists of Mimiko who defected from the LP to PDP is led by Governor Mimiko.
However, the defeat suffered by the PDP in the last Presidential election, political observers believe was a pointer to the fact that Governor Mimiko is gradually losing his grip of the state, while others are of the view that the governor is still in firm control of the state considering the control he has in all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Indications have emerged that the PDP may not produce a candidate for the next governorship election until after the APC has produced theirs, a tactic believed to be a strategy employed by the party to study the strength and weaknesses of whoever was produced by the APC for the governorship position.
The current situation in the state may be causing political “headache” for Mimiko who has been at the helm of affairs of the state for almost seven years. Mimiko is said not to be comfortable with the division within the PDP and it was learnt that he has been moving round the state to ensure that peace reigns in the state chapter of the PDP.
Mimiko who emerged as the governor under the platform of the LP is said to have understood the politics of the state more than any other politicians in the state, more so, that he lives in the state with the people unlike some other political leaders in the state who are based outside the state.
Aside the first executive governor of the state, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, it was said that Mimiko is the only Ondo State politician that controls the totality of the people of the state and who has also impacted positively on the masses of the state, a situation which earned him the popularity he enjoys and which gives advantage to any political party he pitches his tent with.
However, despite the popularity of Mimiko in the state, the APC is giving a serious challenge to the governor as the leaders of the party have started mobilization for the election moving from one community to another to solicit for the support of the masses ahead of the gubernatorial election in the state.
Although, the APC may also be embroiled in serious crisis with the number of contestants who have signified intention to contest the governorship election, the party still poses serious challenge to Mimiko considering the control it has at the centre and the support enjoyed by the party in some parts of the state.
Already, the APC has two senators representing the state at the upper chamber of the National Assembly; Professor Ajayi Borrofice and Chief Tayo Alasoadura, while the PDP has only one Senator in person of Pastor Yele Omogunwa representing Ondo South Senatorial district of the state at the senate.
As the PDP is giving Mimiko serious internal battles on the choice of the party’s flag bearer, the APC is also giving him similar challenge as it is not ready to leave any chance for the PDP to win the next governorship election in the state.
In the PDP, Mimiko is faced with the challenge put to him by the Jimoh Ibrahim- led faction of the party which currently has two persons contesting for the election. The two contestants are Ibrahim himself and Dr Olu Agunloye, a former Minister.
Also, other contestants in the PDP include the state commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ebisemi, former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Hon. Kingsley Kuku and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs Jumoke Akindele among others.
In the APC however, no fewer than 20 people were said to have
signified intention to contest the election, but prominent among them are the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district in the National Assembly, Prof. Ajayi Borronfice, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Alli Olanusi, Chief Olusola Oke, a United States of America based Lawyer, Chief Bisi Adetula and the Proprietor of Achievers University, Hon Banji Ayorinde among others.
Mimiko is daily confronted with battles from the opposition APC with serious condemnation of his programmes and policies, even as the APC in the state has started mobilizing against Mimiko ahead of the election. The APC is not leaving any stone unturned on the party’s resolve to take over power from the PDP government of Mimiko.
The APC Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Steve Otaloro said the party will certainly take over the reins of government from Mimiko come next year, saying that the party is basking on the support it enjoys from residents of the state, especially civil servants, artisans and others.
He said the people of Ondo state are already tired of the Mimiko-led administration and are willing to experience a change of government in the state, hence their resolve to give maximum support to any candidate the APC presents as its flag bearer in the forthcoming election in the state.
But Governor Mimiko insisted that he is still in control of the state and urged the people of the state to continue to support his party, the PDP, stressing that the support will give room for continuation of all the lofty projects he executed and the policies he initiated.
The governor who addressed a mammoth crowd of people at Owo town hall during a meeting said his administration has served the people of Ondo State with the fear of God and has a lot of achievements to his credit.
He therefore appealed to the people of the state to support the PDP and any candidate presented by the party in the future elections.
However, the people of Akure, the state capital have continued to mount serious pressure on both the APC and the PDP to ensure that an indigene of the town is presented as the candidate of the two parties, threatening that the people of the town who are 44 percent of the entire population of the state will support their kinsman as the next governor of the state.
This is another battle currently being faced by Mimiko as the people of Akure who are in support of the governor may turn him down if he fails to bless the candidature of their kinsman considering their frequent threats and protest.
The struggle for an Akure person to emerge as the next governor of the state may be a serious one considering the fact that the traditional ruler of the town, the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo has also joined his subjects in the clamour, as the monarch declared that the next governor must come from Akure, stressing that any political party that fails to field an indigene of the town will fail in the election.
Already, two persons were said to be nursing the ambition of becoming the next governor of the state from Akure and incidentally the two persons are in different political parties, that is the ruling PDP and the APC.
Although the two contenders are yet to make their ambition public, it was learnt that they were already strategizing within their political parties to ensure that they emerge the candidates of their political parties. Interestingly, the two gladiators are hiding on the “Akure
Agenda” which is strictly to ensure that an Akure man or woman becomes the next governor of the state.
The two Akure contenders according to checks are Mr Eyitayo Jegede, who is the current Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state and a leader of the PDP in the state and Akure, his home town in particular, and Engr Tunji Bright who is a leader of the APC in the state.
To lend credence to the clamour, the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade recently held meetings with some notable indigenes of Akure where it was concluded that the people of the town will only support any political party that presents an Akure indigene as its flag bearer.
The monarch who said the town has been marginalized since the creation of the state 39 years ago, stressed that any political party that fails to present his subject will fail in the contest, as he has started working in that direction.
The traditional ruler, who hinted that he had held series of meetings with prominent indigenes of the town on the choice of the next governorship flag bearer from the town, said any party that fails to present an Akure indigene will lose not only in Akure, but in the entire state.
According to him “We have six divisions in Ondo State. We have Ondo division, Okitipupa division, Owo division, Akoko division and Akure division. It is only
Akure division that has not produced a governor since 1976 that the state was created. If PDP and APC fail to pick an Akure indigene, we shall form another political party that will win that election like Mimiko did in 2007. This is Akure Agenda.”
“I have been having series of meetings with all our sons and daughters on how to speak with one voice. You will see that things will change next year. It is our project, if I am still alive by then, we must accomplish it by God’s grace,” he added.
With this development, Governor Mimiko has a lot of battles to conquer if he will remain a force to reckon with in the state and influences who becomes the next governor of Ondo State.
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