By Jimoh Ahmed

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The morning shows the day, so an adage says. If the above statement is anything to go by the mammoth crowd and party enthusiasts that have thronged the campaign rallies of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu attest to the victory of the All Progressives Party in next month’s Governorship polls slated for Oct 10, 2020.
In all the rallies held so far, the turnout of people had been impressive and massive. Talk about Okeagbe, Irele and others, it was sea of heads and harvest of defectors.
However, Ikare Akoko proved to be the final litmus point. It may have sealed the victory of APC and Governor Akeredolu in the election. It was not only because of the crowd at the campaign ground that suggested this but the way people take the APC religiously in their heart.
In sharp contradiction to 2016 when people were skeptical about the candidature of the governor as the APC flag bearer arising from the fact that they had expected an Ikare son, Dr Olusegun Abraham as party’s candidate, it was a different ball game this year.
In 2016, the people rooted for Olusola Oke, then of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, as a way of showing their anger for what they called, ‘our son was robbed of victory’. It was “Oke gbemi, okuta wewewe, Oke gbemi. Aketi wewewe, Oke gbemi”. The way people chorused this in the streets, joints and various households in Ikare and environs then made people thought Akeredolu had lost it, at least in Ikare.
This fact was attested to by Governor Akeredolu himself at the campaign ground, the same spot where the 2020 rally was held.
Akeredolu, still fastidious with the huge crowd at the rally, told those who were around that the people who came to attend the turn out was still not encouraging. He charged them to go home and tell the people to vote for APC.
“Those of you here are not enough the number of people we are expecting. Go to your various homes and tell your people to vote for APC “, the governor said.
But like he who God is pleased with, Akeredolu emerged victorious, even in Ikare Akoko and the rest is now history.
With the internal crisis, bickering and disagreement which was pronounced in the APC prior to the 2020 Governorship Primary, especially in Akoko and most importantly the Ikare axis, one needed no soothsayer that all was not well with the APC.
Events before and after the primaries however calmed frayed- nerves, especially few days to the big event when some aspirants stepped down for the incumbent governor.
The most interesting thing was that Dr Olusegun Abraham, the centre point of Akoko politics stepped down for Akeredolu. At first people thought Abraham did this to pursue his dream on the platform of another party, but he has since proved he is a man of his words.
When the APC Governorship rally was fixed for Wednesday, September 16, there was apprehension in some quarters that it might the same scenario to what obtained in 2016.
However, the people proved bookmakers wrong. The crowd was massive. It was the broom revolution everywhere you go. The people could not hide their joy for the governor to return to the Alagbaka Government House come October 10 as they raised their two hands up with the four plus four sign while they shouted “Aketi four plus four, o di dandan”.
The people who had come out as early as 9.00 am could not hide their feelings and love for Governor Akeredolu as they danced round the town and Jubilee Cenotaph, the venue of the campaign.
Women youth groups, traditional and local musical bands were at hand to make the occasion a memorable one as they all waited until the governor came.
The arena was lively, people were visibly happy. The fact that they are genuinely committed to the victory of the APC in the Governorship Election showed on their faces.
Speaking on the reason for the people’s show of love and joy, a former chairman of Akoko Northeast Local Government, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Al-Ammam said this time around the people are truly in support of the governor for his achievement.
Al-Ammam was formerly of the PDP and Labour Party but recently joined APC and said Akeredolu has proved to be an honest individual and politician.
The former chairman said the governor through to his promise has levelled the Oke Alabojuto Hill which had caused deaths of many in Ikare Akoko and also doing the dualization of Ikare township road which a past governor promised to do in eight years but did not.
He said the people are now in a better position to know that Akeredolu really loves them and it is a pay back time.
“Aketi despite all odds have proven to be a man of his words, an honest individual and a rare breed politician who does not play politics with peoples lives.
” What we are doing today is to show our love for him. It is a pay back time. We are going to replicate what he has done with our votes on October 10.
“Aketi has done well for us. A governor was there for eight years and only promised to do Okealabojuto. Akeredolu came here and said he will level the place. Today Okealabojuto is a plain ground and not only that, it is a dual carriage road, beside, that Ikare township road is being dualized.
“ For this, Akeredolu is telling us we could get the Ikare of our dreams. For these we are going to show him our appreciation. We will vote massively for him come October 10.”
As if the people’s resolve was not enough, the array of Akoko community leaders that graced the rally confirmed that it was the sealing of the APC victory in the coming election.
From the Asiwaju of Akoko land and the Senate Deputy Leader, Professor Robert Ajayi Boroffice, Dr Olusegun Abraham, Victor Olabimtan, Bummi Tunji Ojo, Dr Tunji Abayomi to Gbenga Otolorin Elegbeleye, the rally compared to no other one anywhere.
The leaders who had converged at the campaign ground hours before the arrival of the party’s candidate held the crowd spell bound as they praise and shower encomiums on Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
Dr Tunji Abayomi who thanked the people for showing their love and preference for the APC implored all to vote for Akeredolu for his efforts in transforming Akoko land.
The Senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Professor Ajayi Borrofice said APC will win the election on October 10.
Borrofice, jokingly said the APC won with a landslide victory in 2016 but this time around wants the party to win with ‘moonslide’
The senator said PDP was there at Alagbaka for eight years and did nothing for the state while the ZLP as represented by Agboola Ajayi is a party that does not have anything for the state but just to actualise the personal ambition of some selfish politicians.
Dr Olusegun Abraham, a chieftain of APC and the flagship of Akoko politics told the people to vote for Akeredolu.
Segun Abraham said he cannot lead the people to failure and that he was at the rally because he sees Akeredolu as honest and tells no lie. “I am here because I tell no lie and Akeredolu tells no lies also. We have settled our differences, we need to vote for Akeredolu.”
Abraham who despite years of legal war with the governor over the 2016 APC Governorship Primary, stepped down for the incumbent in the 2020 party primary said attention will be focused on a Yoruba President after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure said the only way this could be achieved is by voting for Akeredolu.
” Yoruba is marginalized and the attention is focused on Yoruba Presidency, if we don’t have a Yoruba man as the next president of Nigeria then we are the loser for it. So we must vote for Akeredolu as the state governor for this to be realized.”
Similarly Abraham said Akeredolu has proved to love Akoko people than any other politician with the developmental projects he is executing in the area.
” Those in ZLP today have been in the seat of government for eight years, what have they done for us? Aketi has levelled Okealabojuto, he is doing the dualization of our roads. With Akeredolu as the governor again, more development will come here.
“When we were against him, he was giving us development and now that we are with him, he will do better.”
I cannot lead you astray, transfer all the love you have for me to Aketi. I am here to fight for you, I represent you”, Segun Abraham told the people.
Telling the people why they should vote for Akeredolu, the Director General of the Akeredolu/Ayedatiwa Campaign Organization, Victor Adekanye Olabimtan said Akeredolu candidacy is Ondo North’s agenda.
Olabimtan said late former governors from the district, Adekunle Ajasin and Adebayo Adefarati were never allowed to do two terms of eight years while the Central District has done its own two terms.
A former chairman of Akoko Northeast Local Government and also a former member of the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, Stephen Friday Olemija he has had bad experience at Okeabojuto Hill as a sitting council boss and posited that Akeredolu has performed an herculean task bringing the hill to its base and if the people should vote him for the second term he will do more.
A former Deputy Governor in the state and also a community leader in Ikare, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo stated that presence of massive crowd at the rally was to assure the governor that Ikare and Akoko will vote for him.
The present member representing Akoko Northeast/Northwest Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Bunmi Tunji Ojo popularly called BTO told the people to vote for Akeredolu.
Bunmi Tunji Ojo said the road construction projects he was doing through the NNDC was possible because he was having an APC man as the governor of the state.
The APC chairman in the state, Mr. Ade Adetimehin who was visibly happy with the crowd at the event charged them to replicate the massive turnout with votes for APC and Governor Akeredolu on October 10.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor, Akeredolu, who said he was at the rally to thank the people said he will do more for Akoko in his second term
Akeredolu who said Akoko and Owo are brothers urged the people to go all out to vote for the APC on October 10.
Highlight of the event was the defection of ZLP members to APC. The defectors who were led by Mr Steve Giwa, a former chairman of the Ondo State Water Board said he has seen works done in Akoko by Akeredolu and was impressed.
Giwa disclosed that all the 13 units chairmen and the women leaders followed him to the APC. Receiving the defectors to the APC, Engineer Adetimehin asked them to go to their various wards to work for the APC.