Ondo 2020: Guber ticket tears PDP apart
Ondo 2020: Guber ticket tears PDP apart
As October 10 governorship election in Ondo State is approaching, internal wrangling is threatening the political fold of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the South Senatorial district of the state over who pick the party’s ticket from the South Senatorial district.
It is a well-known fact that the district is the stronghold of the PDP especially Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele and Ileoluji/Okeigbo Local Government areas where the party usually record impressive votes in major elections since 1999.
Reports had it that the crisis that is now shaking the stronghold of the party in the state, started when the National Vice Chairman of the party (Southwest) Dr Eddy Olafeso who is also a governorship aspirant was allegedly endorsed by all the PDP governorship aspirants from Okitipupa council area.
After Olafeso’s alleged endorsement as a consensus aspirant from the South Senatorial district to slug it out with aspirants from other senatorial districts in the state, some aspirants who are also his kinsmen from Okitipupa council area kicked against the decision, describing it as unacceptable.
This development has however created political tension, misgivings and distrust in the party’s structures especially in the South Senatorial district as many of the aspirants’ supporters are now using social media and political gatherings to attack one another and calling themselves unprintable names.
This is not a good development for the PDP members in the district who have been strategizing on how their party will unseat the incumbent Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election.
In a statement allegedly jointly signed by governorship aspirants from Okitipupa council area included Dr. Eddy Olafeso, Senator Boluwaji Kunlere, Mr. Bamidele Akingboye, Mr. Ogunwa Oboli and Mr. Bimpe Olatemiju, picked Olafeso as the consensus governorship aspirant of the party from the district.
In a communiqué dated April 30, 2020 after a meeting at Ode Aye reconvened as a follow-up to the initial meeting held on March 26th, 2020 also at Ode Aye, the aspirants allegedly resolved, “we resolved to conduct a gentleman shadow election amongst ourselves. At the end of the historic exercise, Eddy Olafeso emerged to represent the other aspirants to contest the primary election.
“The aspirants have agreed to appeal to their supporters to see the decision as sacrifice to create better life for our people.
Few hours later on April 30, 2020, Akingboye, one of the governorship aspirants earlier in support of Olafeso as consensus aspirant issued a contrary release to declare that the acclaimed emergence of Olafeso as the sole aspirant from Okitipupa council area was undemocratic, fraudulent and an effort in futility.
Akingboye said, “it’s a disgusting news that five aspirants could gather to decide the faith of eminent sons and daughters of Okitipupa home and abroad on the choice of who grabs the gubernatorial ticket in PDP comes July, 2020.
It was further gathered that the endorsement of Olafeso as sole aspirant from the district, two of the gubernatorial aspirants, Olatemiju and Oboli insisted that four aspirants pledged their support for governorship aspiration of Olafeso.
The duo said that despite the current controversy which greeted shadow primaries held amongst aspirants in Okitipupa council area on the platform of the PDP, noting that the four of them unanimously resolved that Olafeso should be the sole aspirant from the local government.
Both Oboli and Olatemiju insisted that Kunlere, Akingboye including themselves resolved to support the aspiration of Olafeso just as they all agreed to appeal to their supporters to see the decision as sacrifice to create better life for people.
Olatemiju, a lawyer said he was, therefore shocked when he read the rebuttals from Kunlere and Akingboye.
He said on March 26 this year, Oboli and himself met Olafeso, Akingboye and Kunlere at the Ode Aye home of Oboli where they all agreed to work with one another and asked their supporters to sheathe their sword on social media.
“We met again last Thursday and after lengthy deliberations, we decided to cast our votes. The process was that we wrote the name of whom you want as the sole aspirant of the party, then wrote the date and signed below. The ballot papers are still with me.”
Buttressing his position, Oboli who hosted the meeting said “After we casted our ballots, Olafeso had three votes, while Kunlere and Akingboye had a vote apiece. Kunlere prayed for Olafeso and even cursed those who will betray the agreement. Akingboye offered his Akure campaign office and even urged us to buy the form for Dr. Eddy in solidarity.