The next governorship election in Ondo State is not due until 2016. However, three Senate seats, nine seats in the House of Representatives and 26 seats in the House of Assembly are on offer in the forthcoming round of elections for voters in Ondo State.
No doubt the division within the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP in Ondo State will affect the fortunes of the party in the forthcoming general elections quite unlike the last presidential election in 2011.
Reason is that the personal ambition of some of the leaders of the party in the southern area of the state is taking its toll on his chances in the election.
Instead of focusing on how to mobilise for their presidential candidate, party chieftains are preoccupied with internal bickering and court cases which have helped to slow down the integration of Labour Party LP into the state PDP.
Central to the issue dividing the political chieftains is the positioning of the party leaders for the succession at the end of the second term of the Segun Mimiko administration due in two years time.
Another disadvantage
The defection by some PDP leaders led by the younger brother of the late Governor Segun Agagu, Femi Agagu to the All Progressives Congress, APC is said to be another disadvantage for the party in the state. Agagu’s group of the PD had been famously described as PDP-Jagaban obviously on account of their past dalliance with the APC and its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban of Borgu.
Although Femi who served as chief of staff to his brother for six years is not a grassroots politician like his late brother but he was able to mobilise some former political appointees to defect to the opposition party. But many of those that defected are like Femi not considered as rooted politicians who could alter the political permutations.
One of the defectors, a former speaker of the House of Assembly and presently, a commissioner in the Federal Civil Service Commission, Victor Olabimtan from Akoko South West area of the state is however a big plus to the APC because of his firm control of his Akoko South West constituency. He has always been trashing the state deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi who hails from the same area while he was in PDP.
Barring any hindrance he may win the council for APC presidential candidate.
Coupled with this is the recognition of the candidates list aligned to Mimiko by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Another list of candidates was produced by the faction of the party aligned to business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim.
He has gone to court to stop the electoral body from recognising the list but the ongoing strike by judicial officers has halted the proceedings.
But while leaders from the South are fighting the governor having read his body language that he will not support his successor to come from the area, leaders in the other two Senatorial districts – North and Central are all out to ensure victory for President Jonathan.
The South has always been the PDP stronghold but if the leaders fail to bury their governorship ambitions and work for President Jonathan, APC may spring surprises coupled with the defection of some foot soldiers of a leader and former governorship candidate of the party in the 2012 governorship election Chief Olusola Oke to the APC.
The BOT member Dr Bode Olajumoke, the Director General of National Sports Commission Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye and the Chief of Staff to the President Brigadier Jones Arogbofa are formidable forces that will garner votes for President Jonathan from the Northern areas of the state.
Elegbeleye is believed to have buried his governorship ambition for now to garner support for President Jonathan to win the February election.
In the central, the governor is the commander in chief with his foot soldiers in the state and National Assemblies.
In the National Assembly election, the PDP candidates Dr Olajumoke (North) is set to sack the APC candidate Prof Ajayi Boroffice who many even within his party as a non performance while in the South the PDP candidate Yele Omogunwa a former Works Commissioner who is a grassroots mobilise is expected to walk over a relatively new entrant Morayo Lebi paraded by the opposition APC.
In the central senatorial zone, the candidate of the APC Chief Tayo Alasoadura even if he is popular but he has to contend with the combined influence of the governor and the incumbent, Senator Ayo Akinyelure.
Remarkably, while Alasoadura may be banking on the votes from Akure North/Akure South, but those votes would not compare with what the governor would bring from the two Ondo councils, and Ifedore and Idanre would.
