Ondo unclear as Akeredolu, Oke & Jegede struggle to share senatorial districts

Going by the present political permutations ahead of tomorrow’s governorship election in Ondo state, nobody could rightly foresee the winner among three major governorship candidates, namely, Rotimi Akeredolu of All Progressives Congress (APC); Olusola Oke of Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Eyitayo Jegede of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Although, some other less-popular political parties such as Social Democratic Party (SDP) which has Olu Agunloye and other like People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN) are still in the Saturday governorship race, feelings and thinking among eligible voters across the 18 local government areas of the state don’t favour any other parties except AD, PDP and APC, leaving the poll to a three-horse race.

As it stands now, the 18 local government areas of the state are shared by six local government areas each or according to senatorial district each. Ondo central senatorial district, which consists of Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo East and Ondo West local government areas, is reportedly under the feet of Eyitayo Jegede, PDP governorship candidate being strongly backed by Governor Segun Mimiko, his godfather.

For Ondo North Senatorial District, which comprises Akoko North-East, Akoko North-West, Akoko, South-East, Akoko South-West, Owo and Ose local government areas, is having Rotimi Akeredolu and All Progressives Congress being presidentially-supported by President Muhammadu Buhari as the most popular governorship candidate.

But, APC-broken away Olusola Oke, now of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), though in the eyes of Ondo state’s political school of thoughts, is an underdog in tomorrow election considering the power of incumbency which both APC and PDP at both federal and state government levels, the backing of the Lion of Bourdillon, Ahmed Tinubu and grassroots brand of politics he plays seems to have started favouring him and AD.

Before, the confusion created by Ondo state governorship candidature’s tussle between Jimoh Ibrahim and Eyitayo Jegede in the same party, PDP, had put party supporters and other people in the state in political dilemma which prompted PDP supporters to move in droves to either APC or AD, but eleventh hour judgement against Jimoh Ibrahim forced a large number of departed supporters to come back.

A unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday, by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa-led three-man special panel of the appellate court, the Appeal Court which vacated the June 29 judgement of the Justice Okon Abang-led Federal High Court in Abuja that ordered the INEC to recognise Jimoh Ibrahim as PDP gubernatorial candidate, but now ordered INEC to recognise Eyitayo Jegede instead of Jimoh Ibrahim, has really changed the election rhythm and voting patterns.

Another judgement on the governorship tussle between the two candidates – Eyitayo Jegede and Jimoh Ibrahim in which five-man panel of Supreme Court led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen on Thursday ruled that all pending appeals relating to the candidacy of the PDP for Saturday poll be struck out and referred all the pending cases relating to leadership dispute between Ali Modu Sherif and Ahmed Makarfi factions of PDP back to Court of Appeal.

Since then Eyitayo Jegede and his wife, Eno as well as Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his wife, Olukemi, had resorted to another round of campaigns to win supporters and people’s hearts for Jegede and PDP in the state once again. Finishing touches were put in their efforts yesterday in a campaign rush as different political souvenirs earlier kept were brought out in millions for the distribution among the people of the state.

Apart from that, the national leadership of the party, including Walid Jibril, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman;  Jerry Gana, senior member of the party and Sola Adeyeye, Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee have vowed that the last minute judgement would be a blessing to the chance of Eyitayo Jegede and PDP in Ondo state as Jegede also boasts, “I don’t have any doubt in mind, I will be the next governor.”

Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state also joined Governor Segun Mimiko yesterday in a final campaign for Jegede and PDP ahead of election, asking people of the state to “shine their eyes” and vote wisely for continuity of good works in Ondo state, asking the people not to allow change to destabilise the good works of PDP and Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Rotimi Akeredolu and All Progressives Congress bank on the power of the Presidency as he confidently stated at the last campaign in Owo, his local government area that the poll would be won by APC, having had Ondo North Senatorial District as APC stronghold, “the next thing is to share the remaining local government areas with PDP and AD.”

But, what seems to be working for Olusola Oke of Alliance for Democracy is only because he is seen as an underdog, but the odds that favour Oke include the Christian-Muslim governorship ticket of AD since he was the only candidate that listening to the yearnings of some section of stakeholders in the state who asked for Muslim deputy governorship candidate in person of Ganiyu Dauda from Akoko North-East and Akoko South-West Federal Constituency in  Ondo Central Senatorial District.

The choice of Muslim deputy governorship candidate from Ondo Central Senatorial District, according to some political school of thoughts would also play a key role in depleting supporting base of Eyitayo Jegede in the Central and coupled with the fact that Ondo South Senatorial District have largely, the coastal areas which are considered to be swing states where huge results usually come in.

With these political calculations, many people still believe that the governorship election will be too close to call among the three gladiators that are going to the poll on tomorrow.