THE tempo of horse-trading is gathering momentum ahead of the 2020 governorship race and the latest catalyst for it is the choice made by President Muhammadu Buhari for the post of minster in the next federal cabinet. While a few stakeholders appear dissatisfied over the selection of a senator in the ninth National Assembly, others, including the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, applauded the decision of the president. Among the names on the list of the 43 ministerial nominees by the president is Tayo Alasoadura, the lawmaker that represented the Ondo Central Senatorial District in the eighth Senate. He is said to be a close political ally of Governor Akeredolu. The belief in many quarters is that Governor Akeredolu facilitated the nomination of Alasoadura as the representative of the state in the expected new cabinet of President Buhari. During a ‘thank you’ tour after the general election, the governor had said Akure, the state capital, should be given the opportunity to produce the minister that would represent the state in the federal cabinet. Akeredolu made the plea while speaking at a reception held in honour of Alasoadura, as no indigene of the state capital had been appointed a minister since 1999. The governor blamed the people of the senatorial district for the defeat of Alasoadura in the last general election despite what Akeredolu considered as the senator’s performance at the eight National Assembly. He said Alasoadura, who was the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (upstream), performed very well to deserve being reelected.
Despite the hint given by the governor, the nomination of Alasoadura was said to have come as a surprise to a number of stakeholders and most people in the state, as a lot of them assumed the choice should have been between the Secretary to the State Government, Honourable Ifedayo Abegunde, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Utilities, Tunji Ariyomo-Light. Some influential persons within the Akure kingdom were said to have spearheaded a team that lobbied the Sultan of Sokoto to consider the duo for the ministerial slot.
No prominent person from the northern senatorial district eyed the job. Governor Akeredolu hails from Owo Local Government Area in the district. That was why nobody expected that the position would be clinched by anyone from the zone. But from the southern senatorial district were three strong politicians seeking the job. They were Isaac Kekemeke, the immediate state chairman of the party; Ife Oyedele, the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) and Chief Olusola Oke, a former APC governorship aspirant and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate in the 2016 gubernatorial election in the state. Kekemeke, who is also a former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, commissioner and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), is a native of Ese-Odo Local Government Area. Professor Claudius Daramola, the immediate past Minister of State for Niger Delta was favoured for the ministerial slot as against Kekemeke in the past with the hope that the latter could get it this time, based on his contact with some influential forces outside the state. Right now, Kekemeke is among the governorship aspirants in the APC for next year’s election. The former lawmaker is already seeking support from the APC members for his quest for the party’s nomination to contest the 2020 gubernatorial poll in the state.
At another level, speculations were rife initially that Oyedele was the favourite of a powerful caucus for the ministerial slot, as he is believed to a close ally of President Buhari. In fact, Oyedele is credited with having designed the logo of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), formed and led by the president. The NDPHC boss, who hails from Okitipupa Local Government Area, was also said to have played an important role in the formation of the APC in 2013. It was learnt that the Abuja caucus sought the ministerial job for him so that he would be well-placed to seek the governorship poll 2020.
Oke, who is from Ilaje Local Government Area, also wanted the ministerial job to enhance his chances of winning the next state governorship election. The two-time governorship candidate and South-West coordinator of President Buhari Campaign Organisation in the last election was speculated to have secured the nod of the Lagos caucus for the ministerial ticket. But a recent a report had claimed that Oke appeared keen on being considered for the position of managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a position, which Ondo has never occupied.
From all indications, the choice of Alasoadura for the ministerial slot of the state may alter the political calculus ahead of the 2020 gubernatorial poll. According to pundits and stakeholders in the politics of Ondo, the slot has always given a lot of leverage to whoever secures the post of minister, especially in who occupies the Alagbaka House, based on empirical evidence. For instance, the late Dr Olusegun Agagu contested the governorship of the state against the equally late Chief Adebayo Adefarati in 1999. Adefarati defeated Agagu. But Agagu was appointed a minister by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The former governor did not take his eyes away from the governor’s seat. He took advantage of his ministerial position and eased out Adefarati of the Alagbaka Government House in 2003.
The immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, is another good example. Mimiko joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a few weeks to the 2003 gubernatorial election. After the victory of Agagu, Mimiko was appointed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). While Agagu’s mind was preoccupied with the development of the state, Mimiko was eyeing his seat and seeking opportunities to shove aside his boss. An opportunity came when the Ondo-born politician was appointed a minister following the sack of Mrs Mobolaji Osomo. Mimiko effectively utilised the position to push Agagu off the gubernatorial seat and achieve his ambition to rule the state.
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