By Dele Ogunbameru
In Ondo State, the Governorship position has moved round the three Senatorial Districts but it has not favoured the Southern Senatorial District of the state.
It is therefore highly commendable that the people of Ondo State unanimously agreed to concede the next Governorship position to the Southern Senatorial District which has six Local Government Areas (LGA’s) with each featuring their sons and daughters for the exalted position.
The six Local Governments that make up the Ondo South Senatorial District are Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo, Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Ileoluji-Okeigbo.
However, while these six Local Governments and their aspirants have equal right to the Governorship position, the choice of where political parties bring out their candidates from in these six Local Governments will be a major determinant of who wins at the end of the day.
Ahead of the 2024 Ondo State Gubernatorial election, politicians interested in taking over the mantle of leadership from Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu have started showing and expressing interest.
Notable among those openly or secretly jostling to succeed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu includes Princess Oladunni Odu, Engineer Ife Oyedele, Professor Dayo Faduyile, Godday Erewa, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, Chief Olusola Oke, Chief Sola Ebiseeni, Hon. Wale Akinterinwa, Dr Mathew Oyerinmade, Olorogun Eddy Olafeso, Hon. Adeleke Collins Olagundoye and Dr Oluwatayo Fashogbon, It is also no longer a secret that the current Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Lucky Aiyedatiwa is eyeing the number one position in the state.
It is a general believe that Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Governments have good and experienced politicians but bringing the two Local Governments together, it is of a technical believe that no new position should go to these two Local Governments again, talkless of the position of the governor.
This is owing to the fact that the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are already taking care of them adequately.
It is on record and almost, if not impossible, for someone from another Local Government to be the Chairman of OSOPADEC and Commissioner in NDDC if the person is not from Ilaje or Ese-Odo Local Governments.
To make matter worse for Ilaje in particular, the current Deputy Governor and the Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House Of Assembly are from the same constituency in Ilaje Local Government.
All these are technical knock-out for any aspirant from Ilaje and Ese-Odo irrespective of party affiliation. In the spirit of equity, justice and need for a balance, it will be unfair for the people of Ondo State for anybody to come out from these two Local Governments.
On the possibility of an aspirant or a candidate from Ileoluji-Okeigbo winning the 2024 guber election, it is generally believed at this stage that it will be difficult. This is because there is a serious division within the Local Government which has divided it into two distinctive parts; geographically and tribally. It is also believed that Ileoluji-Okeigbo Local Government is not only a core minority in the South Senatorial District but also that a win in the governorship election for Ileoluji-Okeigbo Local Government is a continuation of the eight years tenure of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
In Irele Local Government, it is generally believed that Okitipupa Local Government determines the direction of politics in Irele. Political players in Irele Local Government often want to know the political direction players in Okitipupa Local Government are going, and mostly, both Local Governments often follow the same direction and it is on this note that nobody is really aspiring from Irele Local Government.
In Odigbo Local Government, it is generally believed that the politics of the local government is largely determined and driven by Okitipupa and Irele Local Governments. The reason behind this influence is because Odigbo Local Government is predominantly occupied and dominated by the Ikales. In addition, a good number of migrants from Ondo and Osun dominated four out of the eleven wards in the Local Government and It is, therefore, not surprising that nobody is really aspiring for the Governorship position from this axis.
It is the Local Government, that candidates of political parties come from that will determine who wins the Ondo 2024 governorship election.
A brief political history will help political parties to choose their candidates.
Historically, the first Governor of Ondo State came from Ondo North Senatorial District with Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin from Owo Local Government from 1980 to 1983. After series of military regimes, democracy returned in 1999 and the North Senatorial District was favoured in the zoning arrangement.
Chief Adebayo Adefarati from Akoko South-West Local Government became governor in 1999. Power moved to the Southern Senatorial District in 2003 and in the face of the law, Dr Olusegun Agagu became Governor for four years but couldn’t do a straight two terms.
In 2009, Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo West from the Central Senatorial District became the governor and did a straight two-term of eight years.. In 2017, power returned to the Northern Senatorial district that had produced the governor of the state twice (Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Adebayo Adefarati).
However, in February 2017, Arakunrin Akeredolu (SAN) became Governor and God helping him with sound health, he will be completing his two terms of eight years in February 2025.
It is worth noting that apart from the administration of Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Adebayo Adefarati both of whom were from the Northern District, Akeredolu from Owo Local Government has been voted in to spend two terms of eleight years, making a total of 16 years, and Dr Mimiko from Ondo Central Senatorial District spent two straight terms of eight years when the Governorship position was zoned to the Central.
Now that the governorship position is returning to the Southern Senatorial District in 2024 for political balance, it is politically expedient and precedence demand that just like Owo and Ondo West Local Governments, Okitipupa Local Government should be allowed to complete it’s term since Agagu only spent one term as governor of the state.
It is on record that Okitipupa, the headquarters of the nine blocks of Ikale people is known to have 30 wards, while Ilaje has 12 and Ese-Odo 10 with the voting strength of Ikales is not less than 272,175 voting population compared to that of Ilaje with 143,185 and Ese-Odo with 82,080 voting population.
E-signed By Dele Ogunbameru,
The Immediate Past Chairman
Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Ondo State