ONDO 2016: AS 25 ASPIRANTS BATTLE FOR APC TICKET

As the August 27 governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State draws nearer, 25 aspirants who are seriously jostling for the ticket of the party in the state are in for a tough battle ahead, writes Leadership

The political scene now gathers more momentum ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries as it sets to produce the party's candidate for the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo State. At the last count, no fewer than 25 aspirants are jostling for the ticket of the party in the build-up to the November 26 governorship election.

However, LEADERSHIP learnt that out of the 25 aspirants who obtained nomination and expression of interest forms, only 24 of them appeared before the screening committee of the party at the national headquarters in Abuja few days ago, the remaining one, for reasons best known to him, refused to show up.

Some crops of politicians in the party, no doubt, are keen on breaking the jinx of their persistent failure to rule the state since the progressives, as they preened themselves lost the state in 2003; and thereby adopted various strategies to approach the next election with agility and uncommon formidable spirit.
Analysts, who are familiar with the political landscape of the state, believe that all the aspirants are strong individuals who are capable of shaping the direction of parties' primaries and the main election come November 26.

Frontline aspirants eyeing the governorship ticket on APC platform and whose names conjure political relevance among the gladiators include: Rotimi Akeredolu, Ajayi Boroffice, Olusegun Abraham, Olusola Oke, Victor Olabimtan, Tayo Alasoadura, Jamiu Ekungba, and Bode Ayorinde, to mention few.

Like a soccer match that has first-eleven on the pitch and keeps others on the reserve bench, the intra-party contest is actually among Akeredolu, Boroffice, Oke, Alasoadura and Dr. Abraham. They have demonstrated more zeal and seriousness than others. It is also unanimously agreed that they command the biggest followership in the race for party's delegates.

LEADERSHIP findings reveal that one of the factors that will determine the candidate of the party in the forthcoming poll is the pedigree of the contestants and their agelong loyalty to the party.

Incidentally, all the candidates have track records they are boasting of like Senator Ajayi Boroffice, a professor of Human Genetics and ranking Senator representing the Northern Senatorial District of the state in the National Assembly .

The second-term Senator defected from the Labour Party to ACN in 2011 after his election into the Senate and has remained a loyal member of the party before the party metamorphosed into the APC. But pundits believe that clinching the governorship ticket might not be an easy task for the senator.

One of the factors that may likely work against the Professor is his promise to Owo people when he went to solicit their support for the return ticket to the Senate in 2015. He was said to have promised them that he would not contest the governorship ticket of the party if the people vote for him. LEADERSHIP learnt that the people of the area have vowed not to vote for the Asiwaju of Akoko land if he wins the party's ticket.

Apart from this, the Akoko elders have zoned the ticket out of Boroffice's local government and this development according to analysts will make it difficult for the senator to secure the required support of Akoko delegates in the primaries.

Former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Rotimi Akeredolu, is one of the top contenders for the ticket of the party. Akeredolu was the flagbearer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 governorship election in the state.

Although, analysts believe that Akeredolu has an edge because he had once contested as a candidate of a political party, political observers in the state however, alleged that "Aketi" has gone into political hibernation since he lost to the incumbent governor during 2012 governorship election, only to now reappear to contest for the exalted seat of the governor of the Sunshine state. The former NBA President is said not to be a grassroots politician, thus, fielding him again may bring back the 2012 experience at the poll.
Chief Olusola Oke is another strong contender for the ticket of the party in the forthcoming party primaries. The legal luminary and former National Legal Adviser of the PDP, joined the APC after last year's presidential election and within a short period, he has proved himself to be a good player in terms of politics.

Oke, a standard-bearer of the PDP in 2012, who defected to the APC shortly after the defeat of his party, though with his intimidating profile, his loyalty is believed to be in doubt.

Political observers wondered that if it was the PDP that won the 2015 presidential election, he would not have bordered defecting to the party. For this singular reason, some of the party stalwarts have vowed to support him in the quest for the ticket of the party in the forthcoming shadow election. Also, some said because he is from PDP extraction, APC could weigh its options in order not to fall prey to the antics of serial defectors or experience a repeat of those they were sponsored to elective offices and later betrayed them.
Chief Omotayo Donald Alasoadura is a grassroots politician in the state. He is the current Senator representing Ondo central senatorial district in the National Assembly. The Iju born politician is not a push over because of his acceptability and political antecedents in the state.

Though Alasoadura had joined the party in the days of ACN after parting ways with PDP in 2011, some leaders of the party so not see him as a loyal member with references to his disposition of person like the Senate President, Dr. Olusola Saraki during the National Assembly leadership tussle.

Olusegun Abraham is another contender whose aspiration is now causing stir in the party. Abraham, a businessman and politician contested for the ticket of ACN in the 2012 governorship election in the state before Akeredolu was picked by the party leadership then. Abraham collapsed his political structure for Akeredolu and supported Akeredolu in 2012. He is an ally of the leader of the party and hailed from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko North East local council. Abraham was one of the three contenders considered for the ticket in 2012 but decided to step down for Akeredolu.

Abraham belongs to the old political brigade of the region through his membership of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). It is hope that he may however reap from his 2012 gestures by clinching the ticket.

Olusegun Abraham is not just a career politician interested in a political office according to pundits, rather, he is a practising industrialist, who possesses the advanced education, practical experience, requisite expertise and international exposure to revive Ondo's economy and create wealth for her people. Analysts are also of the opinion that the National leaders of the party must have seen something in him before endorsing his candidature.

Again, in Ondo state, some leaders of the party said he is the major rallying point of the party and he has contributed immensely to the growth of the party. Since the body language of 'Bourdilion' is clearly predictable, some of the leading aspirants have been shifting towards him.

They describe him as a man with a deep pocket to finance his ambition and with the recent support of various groups both in the state and outside, coupled with his ability to govern the state, it is becoming clearer that he might emerge as the party's flag bearer at the end of the Saturday's primaries.