Given the fact that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State was not a product of imposition, his emergence as a candidate in the All Progressives Congress, APC, direct primary election clearly proved him right as a unifier who has the capacity to put the ruling party on track, whilst also creating an enabling environment where every party member will be given sense of belonging within the fold.
The Chairman of the election committee and the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, while declaring Aiyedatiwa winner of the exercise in the early hours of Monday, April 22, 2024, confirmed that the direct mode of primary election which held in all 203 electoral Wards in all the 18 local councils in Ondo State, was free, fair, acceptable, credible and transparent.
The Ondo State governor coasted to victory in 16 of the 18 local councils. Aiyedatiwa amassed 48,569 votes in the primary to beat his closest rival, Mayowa Akinfolarin, who polled 15,343 votes in the election. Olusola Oke’s 14,865 votes got him the third position. The governor lost Ilaje LGA to third-placed Oke.
With no shred of doubt, APC properly managed the 2024 Ondo Primary election and giving strong hope and confidence that the party is committed to winning the November 16, 2024 governorship election in the state based on popular votes.
Winning popular votes is about winning the confidence of electorate, which will be determined first by how strongly APC members and leaders support the candidate of the party.
Thankfully, Aiyedatiwa is not resting on his oars even as he remains consistent in the unification exercise of all stakeholders in the larger interest of the party.
Apart from Governor Ododo, other critical stakeholders in the political affairs of the state also attested to the success of the gubernatorial primary.
One of them, Otunba Gbenga Otolorin Elegbeleye, Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League, in his chat with newsmen, affirmed that, “There is no controversy over outcome of Ondo State governorship primary election.”
He also advised those who lost out to throw their weight behind Governor Aiyedatiwa for the good of the party.
Similarly, a member of the Federal House of Representatives who is representing Ondo East/West in the Green Chamber, Hon. Biola Peter Makinde in an interview with Channels Television (Politics Today) appealed to all the party aspirants who lost the ticket in the April 20 governorship primary to join hands with the winner of the election so that they can win the November 16 governorship poll.
He insisted that the primary conducted by the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, was credible and that all the aspirants needed to accept the exercise’s outcome, adding that the primary election was conducted by men of integrity and high moral rectitude.
Expectedly, Director-General, Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization, Victor Olabimtan, in an interview with TVC, said the trauma Governor Aiyedatiwa went through when he was denied of performing his duties as Acting Governor garnered sympathy for him from the people and they all came out enmasse and gave the governor their votes during the primary.
Olabimtan also said, “Those who contested with him underrated him and didn’t read the political barometer very well. They felt they were bigger in name and in stature, forgetting that things have changed. After the outcome of the poll, there was spontaneous jubilation and positive reactions everywhere in Ondo State, which shows that Aiyedatiwa is loved by the people. And for those who are dissatisfied with the outcome which is not unexpected in politics, we would only continue to reach out to them, and I as well see the whole process as a family affair, that’s why I said there is no victor and no vanquished; we would reconcile with ourselves and come November 16, our party and candidate would record a landslide victory. The exercise was smooth and peaceful across the state; the whole exercise was good, the electoral umpire came, Police, other law enforcement officers were also around to monitor the peaceful and decorous exercise.”
However, one key stakeholder the party strongly holds in high esteem (other parties, too, respect him) in the state is the distinguished Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing the Ondo South Senatorial District.
Pundits have argued that he is a strong party man, very committed, patriotic, and truly epitomizes hard work, perseverance, doggedness, diligence, and patriotism. They also made it known that he treasures the virtue of true friendship and loyalty to any cause he believes in, which gives him the cutting edge.
Whilst it is understandable that Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has always been longing to clinch power in Ondo State as governor, he would be doing himself the greatest disservice if he chooses the path of desperation.
By discrediting a widely adjudged free and fair gubernatorial primary will only strip Senator Ibrahim of any integrity and reputation in him as a party man. He should equally use this opportunity to purge himself of the seemingly erroneous narrative that he is one politician who has always wanted the seat of governor so badly, he would want to pull down the system if it is not him.
The Ondo South Senator should equally bear in mind that everybody cannot be governor simultaneously; there are processes laid down in a constitutional democracy which should be followed without recourse to sentiments or prejudice.
A true party man, as some pundits have described him, this is the time for him to close ranks with the governor and candidate of the party. He should also concentrate on giving quality representation to his constituents instead of stirring up the hornet’s nest at the expense of the party and the good people of Ondo State.
Whereas his right to seek judicial redress is guaranteed, some leaders of the APC in Ondo are saying it is insensitive of Senator Ibrahim to have remainied unperturbed about the moves by the opposition parties in the state who are gaining momentum and regrouping everyday ahead of the November poll, with the aim of defeating the incumbent.
This should be the Senator’s greatest concern and worries, in the larger interest of the party where he belongs.
There is no political party without crisis, but responsible party men will always explore internal mechanisms instituted by the party to resolve the issues instead of going public, threatening, and making incendiary comments.
In retrospect, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa painfully went through a lot in the course of succeeding his predecessor, at a time like this he needs a breather and it would be disingenuous or delusional for anyone to stand as a stumbling block for him at the verge of his breakthrough.
It is on record that Aiyedatiwa’s walk to becoming the governor of Ondo State was a long and stormy one that lasted at least one year since the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu suffered health challenges before he eventually succumbed to the claws of death in faraway Germany where he was being treated for prostate cancer.
Aiyedatiwa, who was once a Commissioner of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), also survived an impeachment plot by Akeredolu’s allies in the Ondo State House of Assembly and stark opposition by his late principal’s foot soldiers. Eventually, the embattled Aiyedatiwa, Ondo State Acting Governor (back then) was on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, sworn in as the substantive governor of the Sunshine State just as fate has destined it to be.
The ordeals are finally over for Ayedatiwa, but sadly, the same forces who fought him from becoming governor are still fighting him without minding the danger it portends for the party. These vituperative critics should know that it is only God that gives power, and everything in life is turn by turn. Senator Ibrahim and his ilk should not upset the apple cart. They should allow the governor to breathe and have his deserving peace.
As a core progressive and visionary political structure, APC must embrace a genuine reconciliatory move just as the November 16, 2024 gubernatorial election draws nearer. The leadership of the party needs to use their good offices to mend the cracks, reconcile all aggrieved aspirants, and ultimately engender cohesion.
For their own good, never should they allow the lingering internal crisis to jeopardise their chances of winning the election. As the friction continues and peace talks progress at snail’s pace, all hands must be on deck to ensure victory for the party, as it is obvious, the party is bigger than anyone including the Governor who doubles as the candidate, therefore the victory for Aiyedatiwa in November cannot be personalized, it is for the entirety of the party.
Once again, APC should redouble its unalloyed efforts in making this courageous and visionary leader who had no time for pretense or deception to expand and extend the grace of continuity at Alagbaka House even as he rides on the prophesy of names as permitted by time and season.
For Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, this is an opportunity to disappoint those who have stereotyped him. He should not miss it.
• Mustapha is a data analyst based in Akure
