All eyes are on Ondo and the Sunshine state is currently the focus of many power brokers in Nigeria. Tomorrow, people of the state would be confronted with one simple task – choosing who governs them in the next four years. But the assignment before voters of the state is not as simple as it appears.
Among the contending political parties, the battle line is drawn and as the voters file out in the next 24 hours to take that important decision, the concept of democracy, free and fair elections would resonate among the people. And as they perform that civic duty, three major candidates are likely to occupy their minds among others. They are Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy(AD) and Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
In terms of resume, many would agree that the three top candidates are eminently qualified to govern the state. All the three are lawyers with two as Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Akeredolu who is a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) and Jegede are both SANs. But in the estimation of critical observers, winning elections especially in Ondo is more than just having beautiful credentials.
For the informed, tomorrow’s exercise is more than just an election. It would be a battle among three contending power brokers. One of the battlefronts would be controlled by President Muhammadu Buhari and his loyalists who obviously would be working for the emergence of Akeredolu, the APC candidate. Another camp would be spearheaded by former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his legion of supporters. Majority of the people here who are aggrieved members of the APC would be doing everything possible to ensure that Olusola Oke wins the election. The other group is that of Governor Olusegun Mimiko whose supporters are fully behind Jegede.
With the picture above, many insist that Ondo State is surely going to be one huge theatre of power, influence and money. There is a consensus among critical observers that none of the three candidates would be in short supply of what it entails to prosecute the election.
The argument in many quarters is that even though President Buhari may not be disposed to supporting Akeredolu with government funds, his close associates would ensure that the APC candidate is not in short supply of anything.
In the case of Mimiko who is currently the governor of Ondo State, he is the major financier of Jegede’s election. As the incumbent, money is not likely to be his major headache. It is one battle he would not like to lose.
The same could also be said of Olusola Oke who enjoys the backing of Tinubu who is believed to have enough resources to embark on any political battle. The governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode and his Osun State counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola who are close associates of Tinubu are also in support of Oke’s ambition.
So, with the political portfolios of the three candidates, tomorrow’s election would be a battle of the titans. However, the ultimate decision is for the people of Ondo State to make.
But as the former United States President and great thinker Abraham Lincoln: would say “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
Source: TheSun.
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