Race for APC senatorial ticket in Ondo North

As the race for the 2019 general election draws near, HAKEEM GBADAMOSI examines the aspirants jostling for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Ondo North senatorial district and factors that are likely to shape and determine who gets the party’s ticket. 

 

The battle for the Ondo North senatorial  distrcit ticket is gathering momentum among members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, with aspirants from the northern senatorial districts of the Sunshine state, intensifying grass-roots campaign to outwit one another in getting the ticket to contest on the platform of the party.

The camp of the APC in the state had been divided into two factions following the outcome of the May 2018 congress of the party, with each faction laying claim to be the authentic executive of the party. It is, however ,clear that the party in the state might end up producing two parallel candidates for each of the elective posts in the state.

The faction of the party led by Idowu Otetubi, has stylishly pruned the number of aspirants from its camp to one for each position, while it instituted legal action against the existence of the other faction. Apart from this, the election in this district is set to be interesting and important to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu because of some factors. The election will be the first litmus test for him since his inauguration as the governor of the state, the election will also serve as a gauge for his political popularity and the governor might want to make a statement with the election.

Again, the governor might want to use the election of the district to prove a point to the incumbent, Senator Ajayi Boroffice that the party structures remain with his faction of the APC in the state and might not hesitate to use all the machinery within his disposal to deny Senator Boroffice of his third term ambition.

But the battle for the ticket of the Ondo North senatorial districts looks set to be a fierce battle among the contenders for the seat. The open gulf between the incumbent, Senator Boroffice and Akeredolu might be an impediment towards the return of Boroffice, as the governor would not hesitate to work against the senator’s re-election bid as he has pitched his tent with the factional and aggrieved members of the party in the state. The strength of Boroffice and his camp lies with the national leadership whch hasbeen calling for the peaceful resolution of the crisis within the party in the state.

Although those in the Ade Adetimehin camp had resolved on the use of delegates or indirect process to pick its candidates in all elections, the Boroffice group insisted on the use of direct mode of primaries for picking its candidate as directed by the national leadership of the APC.

However, Boroffice, who is currently having a running battle with Akeredolu in relation to the modality to be adopted for the party’s primary, condemned the ratification of indirect primary, saying the Adetimehin faction is jittery over the direct mode of primary.

In a statement signed by Boroffice’s media aide, Kayode Fakuyi, Boroffice said the decision to adopt indirect primary for elective positions in the state, “is not the true reflection and correct representation of the position of the Ondo APC. The only decision that can be said to be the position of the party is the decision that emanated from wide consultations and engagements with party stakeholders and aspirants, like the National leadership of APC directed.

“Whatever decision they take is not effective. At best, it is a proposal. It is subject to approval or rejection by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC. The APC has adopted direct primaries for all elections in Ondo State. If primary election is conducted in Ondo State today, it will be by direct primary,” the statement read.

But the Ade Adetimehin faction said its camp is not jittery over the adoption of the indirect option and comfortable with any of the lawful options. While speaking on behalf of the party, the state Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, said though the option to be adopted for the forthcoming APC primaries for both state and national assembly has been a contentious one in the political space, but said “it is inappropriate for anyone to contemplate that the leader of the party in the state and our dear governor, Akeredolu, in particular, is jittery over whichever option is adopted.

“Disharmony does not exist within the state chapter of the party.   Furthermore, the leadership of the Ondo State APC makes bold to say that it is still enjoying the support of the masses in Ondo State due to the people-oriented policies of the present administration. The party, therefore, has nothing to  fear regardless of any option (direct or indirect) adopted for its primaries.”

However many believe that Boroffice may emerge as a parallel candidate against any candidate who emerges from the Ade Adetimehin led executive in the state as he remains the only aspirant who obtained forms from the national secretariat of the party. On the other side, two major contenders from the Adetimehin faction of the APC in the state are competing for the senatorial ticket, with one of the aspirants said to have received the blessings of Akeredolu. The aspirants include the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and a governorship aspirant in the 2016 governorship election in the state, Hon. Victor Olabimtan and another governorship aspirant, Mr. Tunji Abayomi.

Abayomi was said to have received the blessing of Akeredolu against the aspiration of Olabimtan, which many political observers in the state and some party members described as suicidal and see the governor as backing a wrong horse.

However, the three aspirants are currently engrossed in aggressive political tours of the six local government areas that make up Ondo North senatorial district and are selling themselves to party members and canvassing for their support.

 

Senator Ajayi Boroffice

Boroffice is the current senator representing Ondo North senatorial district in the upper chamber. A well respected academic who cut his teeth as a professor of zoology,  Boroffice is a force to reckon with in Ondo politics and stands a chance to return to the hallowed chamber considering the support of the grassroots.   He is the chairman Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

The Asiwaju of Akokoland Boroffice started his political career under the tutelage of the former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and rode on the back of Mimiko’s Labour party to win the senatorial seat in 2011. However, Boroffice jumped ship and parted ways with Mimiko in 2012 and contested for the gubernatorial ticket of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) losing to Akeredolu through the party’s arrangement but he was re-elected in 2015 on the platform of the APC to the hallowed chamber.

To some political observers, the return of Boroffice to the Senate might be a herculean task as the recent developments in the state indicate that the lawmaker is not on the same page as the state governor and the party leadership in the state.

Apart from this,  Boroffice is seen as being in the forefront of championing the new system of direct  primaries adopted by the national body of the party while the party leadership in the state believed to be controlled by the governor’s faction, embraces indirect mode of primaries.

 

Victor Olabimtan

Olambitan is a former speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly. He is well grounded in the politics of the state and is reputed for being a mass mobiliser of people. He had previously served as the chairman of the Teaching Service Commission and also worked as a commissioner representing Ondo, Edo and Ekiti states at the Federal Civil Service Commission.

The Supare Akoko-born trained teacher and Special Adviser to Akeredolu on Community Development is a community leader who understands the politics of the grass roots and might give Boroffice a good fight if picked as the candidate of the party but his aspiration is said not to receive the blessing of the state governor despite being the Director General of the Akeredolu Campaign group in the last governorship election in the state.

 

Tunji Abayomi

Abayomi is a renowned constitutional lawyer and politician but better known for his political activism and for being a consistent politician who has stayed true to his ideals and political leanings though record shows that he has never contested or won any electoral contest. Abayomi, from Oke Agbe in the Akoko North West Local Government area of the state is currently the chairman of the Governing Council, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko.

However, Abayomi is said to be banking on the support of Akeredolu to win the ticket and emerge as the party’s candidate at the end of the day. But some party leaders in the state have been kicking against the choice and backing of the Abayomi candidature. The leaders are of the opinion that fielding a political neophyte for the senatorial contest may deny the party the chance to win the general election in the area. Again, they believe that Abayomi lacks the political weight to dwarf either Olabimtan or Boroffice in the race while other political parties are planning to present their best for the election.

But the state chairman of the party, Adetimehin, when contacted said the party will ensure free and transparent primaries ahead of the 2019 general election and absolved the state governor of taking side with any of the aspirants. He assured that the state chapter of the party would always promote transparency and not imposition.

Political pundits, however, predict doom for the APC if either Boroffice or Abayomi eventually emerges the party’s candidate against the choice of Olabimtan. They argue that the incumbent holder of the seat has failed to attract the dividends of democracy to the people of the state despite being a member the ruling party at the centre while Abayomi is said not to have held elective position.