Ondo Central senatorial election: It’s battle of the titans

The battle for the seat of the Ondo Central senatorial district from all indications, promises to be a unique one just as the election will go a long way to define the political maturity of the people of the district. The new twist lately introduced into the contest with the entrance of a two-term former governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who dropped his presidential ambition for the senatorial ticket of his new party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), raised dust within political circles.

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The race will pitch Mimiko against Ayo Akinyelure, who rode on Mimiko’s back to the National Assembly in 2011 on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) before he lost the ticket in 2015 to the incumbent Senator Tayo Alasoadura. Alasoadura is also a very strong contender for the seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Interestingly, the three contenders are of PDP extraction and judging from their records, they are political juggernauts who have made their marks in the state and national political scene.

Apart from Mimiko,  Akinyelure and Alasoadura who emerged as candidates for their various political parties, there are other candidates from other political parties including Gbenga Ogunniya of the African Democratic Congress  (ADC) and Gbenga Awe-Joseph of Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The band wagon effects of the 2015 presidential election dashed the hope of Akinyelure to return to the senate, while Alasoadura emerged as the winner of the contest. It would have been a straight fight between Alasoadura and Akinyelure who looked set to take his pound of flesh, until the race was complicated with the entry of Mimiko, who changed the narrative.

Mimiko dropped his presidential ambition and opted to test his popularity by joining the league of former governors in the senate. His entrance into the race was not without a casualty as the former commissioner for works in the state and a trusted ally of Mimiko, Gboye Adegbenro, who had been positioned as the ZLP candidate was edged out of the race and was replaced by the former governor at the last minute.

Explaining the rationale behind dropping his presidential ambition,  Mimiko said his withdrawal from  the 2019 Presidential race was hinged on calls from across the state and country urging him to jettison the presidential race as it has been narrowed to a race between Atiku and Buhari.

However, Adegbenro doused the tension within the ZLP on his stepping down for his political leader, Mimiko. He explained that the step was taken in the interest of the party and the state.

But Mimiko after his declaration swung into action occupying the political space of Ondo Central district, which comprises Akure North, Akure South, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo East and Ondo West. The former governor looks set to claim victory in the two local government areas in his Ondo country home because of his political antecedents and contributions to the development of the city.

It may however be a herculean task for Mimiko to secure victory in the two local government areas in Akure. The incumbent senator, Alasoadura, hails from Akure North Local Government Area and may be voted for by the people of the area, though the APC crisis may affect his victory, while the electorate from Akure South had never stopped laying the defeat of the PDP governorship candidate at the 2016 election at the doorsteps of Mimiko. The PDP candidate in the 2016 governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede,  who is regarded as the leader of the party in the state,  was said to have thrown his support behind Akinyelure.

Another factor that may favour Akinyelure in Akure South Local Government Area, is the political popularity of the PDP candidate for the House of Representatives for Akure South /North federal constituency, Ifedayo Omolafe. He is regarded as a grassroots politician who looks good to win any election any day. He was a former council chairman and had been denied the opportunity to represent his people times without number because of some political arrangements. The fortune of the PDP candidate for Idanre / Ifedore federal constituency, Kayode Akinmade, might also have positive impact on the outcome of the senatorial election for Akinyelure and the PDP. The result of the election in Idanre where Akinyelure hails from may be an outright win for PDP and its candidate and a no go area for other parties and contenders.

Apart from this, some analysts argue that Ondo town has had a fair share of the state politics, occupying the political space in the state in the last 16 years. They explain that the area has produced and elected Senator Gbenga Ogunniya, who served at the upper assembly for three uninterrupted term of 12 years while Mimiko, also from Ondo town, remains the only governor who served twice in the state and just completed a two term of eight years.

However, one important factor that will dictate the outcome of this election is the antecedents of the three major contenders in the race.

The elections will not just be about promises of what they have in stock for the electorate but what they have been able to do for the people. It will be a case of candidates and parties showing their report card to the people and leaving the people to decide if they are truly worthy of their vote.

Political analysts in the state however posited that the senatorial race might further enhance Mimiko’s political relevance if he wins the election and might relegate him to the background in the state and national politics if he fails to emerge at the end of the day. They described Mimiko as an inconsistent politician who jumps from one party to other in the name of political relevance which has drastically reduced his political popularity and followership in the state.

Akinyelure will be returning as a ranking senator if elected. He was credited with many achievements during his first coming before losing to Alasoadura during the last general election. A resident of the district said “only a candidate with proven experience and capability will win this election. The last thing Ondo Central voters want is another politician who does not know his onions and can’t offer effective representation for his people, this senatorial district is too sophisticated to vote an incompetent senator.”

Alasoadura, a two term commissioner under the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu’s administration, is seeking another term. He was returned by the party’s NWC and he is said to be in the good books of governor Akeredolu.

However, political pundits have predicted that the election will not be a tea party for all the contestants and their parties but it is apparent that the result of the election will show no wide margin.