The emergence of Governor Arakurin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Eyitayo Jegede, for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown up many scenarios for pundits of the Ondo Governorship election. The election, which holds on October 10, may not exactly take the shape of the 2016 duel of the two candidates.
In 2016, both candidates were first timers to a governorship contest. In this election, they are coming with a measure of some experience. Akeredolu won the first match, and may have gotten some education on how to repeat the winning feat.
Jegede lost the first round, and would be leveraging on the reasons he lost to avoid a repeat defeat. Already, Ondo State is becoming a beehive of political activity after the two major players for the election emerged. Observers say the battle for Alagbaka Government House will be exciting because the Candidates, the incumbent Governor, Akeredolu and the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice during Mimiko administration, Jegede, are not new to each other as they have once met during the last governorship election in 2016.
Some political groups and players of politics are analysing the political scenario and how ach of the candidates would fare in the three Senatorial zones in the state. Which direction the pendulum could swing may also be understood from the much intrigues and clash of interest that took place before the Primary elections of both parties, and the way the elections were carried out to pick the flagbearers for the forthcoming Guber poll.
Even at that, the emergence of Jegede came as a surprise to many because the Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, who was said to have the backing of the National Secretariat of the PDP came second. However, for Ondo, a state where second term issue had in the past caused a lot of controversy, including bloodletting, until former Governor Olusegun Mimiko broke the jinx, the incumbent Governor, Akeredolu appears the favourite. Observers say he may likely also clinch a second term because of his extraordinary political deftness.
Although the songs in the mouth of many electorate is that they need a change in the governance of the state in person of Jegede, but this does not translate to automatic victory on the election day. Critics of Akeredolu have alleged that the governor has reneged on his promises to the people of the state which is now causing problems for him.
The Camp of the Deputy Governor was more forceful in coming out boldly to dent Akeredolu’s administration for which they dwarfed all other political opponents to project Akeredolu as the only Judas among the disciples.
Members of Agboola group, which comprise some serving and former commissioners under the present administration, have remained resolute in their quest towards mobilising support for him wherever he pitched his tent as he is trying to push for the position. Agboola Ajay, a seasoned politician and old member of the PDP before teaming up with Akeredolu in 2016, has now lost out on both sides of the contest. For Jegede, who is from the Edo Central, he contested against Akeredolu on the platform of the PDP in 2016 but lost.
Political observers in the state say what may work against him is the calculation that if he is given a chance to govern the State, the Southern Senatorial District will have to wait for their turn after he must have completed two term of eight years. This may be too long a time for politicians in the Southern senatorial district.
Former Governor Olusegun Mimiko who is from the Central Senatorial District had used eight years. The southern politicians are critically looking at the situation that if they give Akeredolu, who is from the Northern Senatorial District a chance, it would mean the Southern Senatorial District will just wait for just four years to produce a governor instead of eight years if it were Jegede.
Another area of observation is that APC at the National Level will not toil with the election in Ondo state so as not to give PDP upper hand in the South West, and therefore the election must be a win for APC. PDP already controls Oyo State. Inching into Ondo could be the beginning of the end for its dominance of the South West. As the permutations are going on, things will start to unfold which will show the direction and pastern the election will take.
