Ondo 2024: Hurdles Ahead as Late Akeredolu’s Former Deputies get set for Showdown
As the 2024 Ondo governorship election approaches, the political landscape is heating up. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 17 candidates will participate in the November poll, but observers believe the real contest is between two former deputies to the late Rotimi Akeredolu: Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Political Credentials and Experience
Both Aiyedatiwa and Agboola have extensive political experience. Aiyedatiwa joined Ondo politics in 2011 as a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later merged with other parties to form the APC.
He has served as a commissioner for the Niger Delta Development Commission and as governor of the oil-rich state.
Agboola, on the other hand, started his political career from the grassroots, serving as a ward chairman, secretary, and council chairman before representing his people in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. He also served as deputy governor from 2017 to 2021.
Hurdles ahead for Aiyedatiwa and Agboola
However, since power is not served à la carte, many analysts believe that Mr. Aiyedatiwa and Agboola have hurdles to cross before they can access the exalted catbird seat in Alagbaka.
Though the latter boasts that he has more experience than the former, citing the various capacities he has served, observers say both of their experiences will play little or no role in helping them to cross the hurdles that lie ahead.
Unlike Agboola Ajayi, whose candidacy is welcomed by his party members, Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s has caused a rancor between him and some of the influential figures in the APC who jostled the party’s governorship ticket with him. They say the primary election that produced the governor was predetermined and fraught with irregularities.
These two leading candidates hail from the same region of Ondo South, which observers say is its turn to produce the next governor. Some groups within the region have said that given that a governor can only be sworn in twice, as enshrined in the constitution, Aiyedatiwa’s victory may cost the region the opportunity to rule for eight years as he had already been sworn in to complete the tenure of his principal who passed on few months ago.
These two hurdles, analysts say, can prevent the governor from securing victory in the forthcoming poll. They advise him to ensure that the crisis within his party does not fester till November 2024. If not, some of the aggrieved aspirants are likely to work against him. They also advise him to meet the various groups within his Ondo South to convince them that his victory cannot possibly affect the supposed eight years of the region as someone from there can always contest the position after his tenure.
Another factor some believe might stand in the way of Aiyedatiwa is the economic crisis in the country. They say the PDP is likely to use it to campaign against him since it was his party’s fuel subsidy removal that ushered in the economic hardship.
The hurdles before Agboola, according to analysts, are majorly two. The first is the power of incumbency, and the second is finance. Unlike Agboola, who holds no power office, observers say Governor Aiyedatiwa will likely use the power of his office to his advantage. As the governor, he is automatically in control of the state’s finances, which analysts say offers him a great advantage as he can always deep hands into the state’s coffer when the need arises for his victory in the election.
With the election looming, Aiyedatiwa and Agboola face a daunting task: to overcome the obstacles in their path and secure victory.
To boost their chances, analysts say these leading candidates must build bridges with their party members, pacify the Ondo South region, and resonate with the electorate.
The stakes are high in the Ondo election, and realistically, the outcome is uncertain.
