Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo State governorship primary election, indications are rife that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa will face a tough contest from some loyalists in the camp of the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
The primary election is scheduled for April 20 this year, while the governorship election will be held on November 16.
Checks by LEADERSHIP reveal that the loyalists of the late governor seem to have regrouped under the aspiration of former commissioner of finance in the state, Wale Akinterinwa.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, it was gathered, has intensified the building of his political network, drawing from political allies who joined him in the battle to ensure that he took over as acting governor when his late boss was very ill.
Although, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim is said to have embarked on an aggressive grassroots campaign, it was learnt that the battle for the APC ticket has, so far, shaped up to be a contest between the camps of the governor and his late predecessor.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming governorship election in the state will be between the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The repeat of the 2007 scenario where the then-Labour Party (LP) emerged as the third force and eventually won the election seems slim.
However, LEADERSHIP looks at the background and pedigree of top aspirants in the ruling APC and the opposition PDP.
In APC, the list of the current contenders for the APC ticket includes incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Chief Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Isaacs Kekemeke, Gbenga Edema, Mayowa Akinfolarin, Jimoh Ibrahim, Brigadier General Olumide Ohunyeye (retd.) Professor Adedayo Faduyile, and Jimmy Odimayo, among others.
Gov Aiyedatiwa
Governor Ayedatiwa became governor of the state following the death of his predecessor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Governor Ayedatiwa is believed to be partly banking on the power of incumbency and currently deploying all strategies in building his political structures across the state.
Although the governor is receiving endorsements from powerful and influential groups and members of APC within the state, a lot of work still needs to be done if the governor wants to win the primaries.
Even though some of the allies of the late Governor Akeredolu are not with Governor Aiyedatiwa, the governor may likely get the ticket based on incumbency power.
Wale Akinterinwa
Wale Akinterinwa, popularly called ‘Wa Kajo se,’ has become a household name in Ondo politics. Akinterinwa is the longest-serving in that capacity in the history of the state, apart from the military era.
He served thrice as a commissioner for finance in the state and hails from Ile Oluji in the Ondo South senatorial district of the state. Currently, Akinterinwa enjoys the support of the who-is-who in Ondo APC coupled with the fact that he has also been on the ground in terms of politics in the state.