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| Akeredolu and wife, Betty |
Ondo state governorship election has beenwon and lost, but there is no doubt that its outcome was that of mixed bag for the contenders and their respective godfathers. The poll, which saw the defeat of the ruling Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in the state, was a big win for some and great loss for others.
Among the big losers is the incumbent governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. For the man popularly called “Iroko”, it was a shocker as he was taught some political lessons despite his political standing.
Others losers are the PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN); Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate, Chief Olusola Oke; National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
On the winners list are the APC candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu; President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun and APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Mimiko
There is no doubt that the outgoing governor is the biggest loser in the poll. The Ondo born medical doctor turned politician became governor of the Sunshine State in 2009 after defeating then Governor Olusegun Agagu (PDP) following an Appeal Court ruling, which cited irregularities in the 2007 Ondo State governorship election.
He contested the poll on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). He was re-elected in 2012 also on the platform of LP, making him the first governor in the history of the state to win a second term election. But, he dumped the party for the PDP in 2014. Mimiko’s intention was to anoint his successor and this explained the choice of his former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice despite opposition to his preference by some party chieftains on the ground that he and Jegede hail from the same senatorial district – Ondo South.
Now that his succession plan has hit the rocks with the defeat of his anointed candidate, the question is: Has the Iroko, whose intention is to step into the big political stage by the time he leaves Alagbaka Government House in February next year, been
retired prematurely from politics.
Jegede
The defeated PDP candidate entered the race with the belief that he has what it takes to consolidate on the achievements of the Mimiko administration.
The conviction made him resign his appointment as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. He told New Telegraph during the run-up to the election that “I am in this race because I want to be governor, because I want to serve, because I want to bring a bit of difference to the way things are done. I want to do more of governance and less of politics.” Though he insisted then that he was not saying this to scale himself, his hope of continuing from his principal by February next year has been dashed by Akeredolu’s victory.
Oke
The AD candidate has been actively involved in the state’s politics in past three decades and has held several positions, but his ultimate target is the governorship. He has in the course of this ambition traversed the PDP, APC and AD. He was the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2012 gubernatorial election but lost to Mimiko.
The Ilaje born politician was a top contender for the APC ticket for the November 26 election but defected to the AD after losing the primaries to Akeredolu. Now that his hope of governing Ondo State has been dashed for the second time, it is uncertain what Oke’s next political move would be.
Tinubu
There is no doubt that former Lagos State governor is one of the biggest losers in the Ondo governorship poll. The APC national leader had rooted for Segun Abraham to fly the party’s flag but was stopped by some power brokers allegedly backed by the Presidency and national leadership of the party.
Even an outburst against the national chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun could not turn the table. Tinubu had to recoil when all efforts to push his man were rebuffed. He and his loyalists, not only showed indifference to the Akeredolu governorship project, but shunned the party’s campaign rallies. He was fingered for being behind the sudden rejuvenation of AD and the good showing the party and its candidate made during the campaigns.
Though, Tinubu never made any public statement on where he stood, his traducers insisted that he mobilised funds for Oke. With AD’s loss, there is no doubt that the APC national leader’s political rating had further dropped, and perhaps, the emergence of new power brokers in the South-West.
Aregbesola
The Osun State governor was the arrowhead of aggrieved APC members, who worked for the AD candidate in the election. A core loyalist of Tinubu, Aregbesola mobilised both men and resources for Oke’s project.
This pitted him against some groups in his state, which felt that his involvement in the Ondo election was a misadventure given that his administration is owing civil servants in Osun State backlog of salaries.
Akeredolu
The Ondo State governor-elect is the major gainer in the governorship election. The APC candidate, who was a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) overcame several odds within and outside his party on his road to the Alagbaka Government House.
The lawyer turned politician, who lost the governorship election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 election to Mimiko, has joined the league of politicians who got elected as governor on second attempt.
Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari played a crucial role in Akeredolu’s victory. He stood solidly behind the candidate during the campaign period, especially when some party’s leaders turned against him. The president was in Akure penultimate Saturday to drum support for Akeredolu and urged the electorate to vote for the APC candidate. Akeredolu’s victory means expansion of frontiers for Buhari as the race for the 2019 presidency begins.
Fayemi
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development played crucial role during the Ondo State governorship election. Despite coming from neighbouring Ekiti State, Fayemi was the anchor man of the Presidency in the governorship poll.
The former Ekiti State governor was on ground during the campaigns and equally stood solidly behind Akeredolu during the election. Fayemi’s rating in the APC will surely soar with Akeredolus’s victory.
Odigie-Oyegun
The APC national chairman, stood his ground on Akeredolu’s candidature despite allegations of manipulating the September 3,
primaries, which saw the emergence of the former NBA president.
New Telegraph
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