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2007: Performance, zoning crucial in Ondo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Alliance for
Democracy (AD) are the two dominant political parties in Ondo State. But
Correspondent AYODELE ONI reports that the battle for the Alagbaka Government
House in Akure, capital of the Sunshine State, will largely be influenced
by the incumbent government’s performance and the zoning of the governorship
seat.
BARELY
a month ago, one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo
State, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, hosted the 18 local governments chairmen at his
country home in Owo. There may be nothing unusual for a leader like Otunba
Fasawe to invite the chairmen to his private residence to wine and dine with
him. But that forum actually flagged off the race for the governorship of the
Sunshine State come 2007.
The Owo parley came just as the state’s
deputy governor, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru, declared at another forum, at the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Akure, that the Alagbaka
Government House would not be vacant come 2007.
Otunba Fasawe was among the power brokers
in the April 19, 2003 gubernatorial polls which saw Dr. Olusegun Agagu emerging
as the governor of the state. Others were Dr. Bode Olajumoke, late Chief Rufus
Giwa, and other prominent indigenes of the state under the aegis of Ondo State
Consultative Forum.
Dr. Agagu, who hails from the Ondo South
Senatorial district was said to have promised the leaders not to spend more than
one term of four years, from 2003 as the governor, to give the Ondo Central
Senatorial district an opportunity to produce a governor for the first time.
But, with the declaration by the deputy
governor, which was perceived as speaking Dr. Agagu’s mind, and other political
permutations now going on in the state, it is clear that Dr. Agagu is preparing
for a second term as governor.
At the Owo parley, Otunba Fasawe was
reported to have urged the local governments chairmen not to be part of the
second term bid of Agagu. Otunba Fasawe, according to his close associates,
believes that Dr. Agagu’s speculated second term ambition is a breach of
agreement.
The major concern within the ruling PDP in
the state now is whether there will be any politician within the party who will
have the financial strength to challenge the incumbent. Some members of the
present executive, who were touted as likely successors, are beginning to fizzle
out. They include the Deputy Governor, Otunba Oluwateru, Ambassador Olu Agbi,
Chief Tayo Alasoadura, the Finance Commissioner and the Secretary to State
Government, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, whose posters were said to have been printed,
but who has denied the allegation. These party chiefs were at some point,
seriously being touted as likely PDP aspirants in 2007.
However, the affected persons have started
singing a new tune, that if Dr. Agagu will seek re-election, then their own
ambitions will have to wait.
This position, according to political
watchers in the state is an attempt not to rock the boat as was the case in the
last general elections wherein the Alliance for Democracy (AD)-controlled
administration of Chief Adebayo Adefarati, had strong opposition from within.
Three of his commissioners resigned their appointments to contest against the
ex-governor. Dr. Agagu, our Correspondent gathered had incapacitated some of his
political aides, financially, so that his likely challengers will not have the
capacity to slug it out with him come 2007. Already, a group, headed by one of
his commissioners from the riverine area of the state, is said to be working on
the 2007 script of Dr. Agagu.
But the present strong clamour by the Ondo
Central senatorial district to occupy the governorship seat in 2007 is expected
to have a negative impact on Dr. Agagu’s second term bid even if he wins his
party’s ticket.
His re-election is further threatened by
allegation of poor performance levelled against the state government. For
instance, Dr. Agagu’s critics say that the programmes and actions of the PDP
government have not started to give the people the required succour.
Consequently, some people have started regretting voting for the PDP. It is not
uncommon to hear the story of a leaking umbrella and compact government in the
state, which has made the people to be poorer and more hungry.
One of the political office holders in the
PDP administration who pleaded anonymity remarked that the reason for the
complaints by the people is the simple fact that the Agagu administration has
been encouraging capital flight from the state by not patronising local
contractors for jobs.
For instance, the consultancy unit of the
Federal University of Technology, Akure reportedly bidded for the Geo-physical
survey of the proposed Igbokoda to Ayetoro road but lost.
Even if Dr. Agagu does not emerge as the
PDP candidate in 2007, whoever picks the party’s ticket may not have an easy
ride to the Government House, Akure. But some of his co-travellers in the same
ship are always quick to voice out that by the time the administration starts
dishing out its welfare packages and contracts to the people, they will forget
the past.
On the fate that awaits other aspirants
earlier mentioned who might show interest in the governorship, analysts believe
that Dr. Mimiko may not make a headway, as far as the PDP is concerned. Dr.
Mimiko and his supporters decamped from the AD to PDP on the eve of the 2003
election and are seen as a major part of those that caused the electoral victory
of the PDP.
Despite his being compensated by being
appointed the Secretary to the State Government, prominent PDP members still see
him as a joiner and not a real partyman.
The much talked-about agreement that Dr.
Agagu will hand over to him in 2007 may not hold any water afterall. All those
being mentioned as being part of the deal, have started singing a new song. If
he is interested in contesting the governorship in 2007, Dr. Mimiko may need to
seek a fresh alignment, where he will be relevant.
Within the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in
the state, the party seems to be working silently along the political
calculation now going on in the state. The party has appraised reasons behind
its defeat in the 2003 elections and is currently repositioning to come back to
power. The current chairman of the party in the state, Comrade Sola Iji, is from
Ondo South senatorial district to pave the way for the emergence of the party’s
governorship candidate from the Central senatorial district. The immediate past
governor, Chief Adefarati is from the North senatorial zone.
The two known aspirants who have signified
their intention to fly the AD flag in 2007 are Prince Ola Adegboro, who served
as a commissioner in Adefarati’s government and Mr. Olusola Agbesua, an
architect, who had earlier contested with Adefarati in the 2003 AD primaries.
Mr. Agbesua is one of those that did not decamp to another party despite losing
the primaries.
But political watchers believe that there
is a gentleman’s accord among AD leaders who have tacitly given the ticket to
Prince Adegboro, who is seen as a more committed party member than Chief Agbesua.
The duo are from Akure which falls into Ondo Central senatorial district. While
Adegboro is said to be an all weather politician Agbesua is seen as one who
banked on his wealth to pick the AD ticket.
Since both of them are from the same town,
and are interested in the same position, other criteria may have to be
considered before the 2007 general polls. If elections were to hold today,
analysts say the opposition AD will triumph over the PDP going by the
performance of the present state government.
But the state Attorney General and
Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke, in a swift reaction, dismissed
such rating of the two parties.
According to him, when the new
socio-economic programmes of the government begin to yield fruit, the people
would have no option than to retain the present government in 2007.
He said that the financial resources at
the disposal of the government now can turn the state around by the time the
government starts work. But the opinion of the average citizen of the state now
is that it is better for government to quickly execute people- oriented
programmes for the people to feel its impact, than wait till the time of
election.
The All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) may
not give the PDP and AD any serious challenge in 2007.
Since Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, the governorship
candidate of ANPP in the 2003 election lost out, activities at the party’s
secretariat have been at the lowest ebb. Also, other parties which presented
candidates for the 2003 governorship election in the state, have gone into the
cooler.
During the last local government election
in the state, only the PDP and AD presented candidates for the polls, while
meetings called by the state electoral body were also attended only by the
representatives of the two parties.
There is, however, the belief that
activities within the parties will pick up as the year 2007 draws nearer.
Analysts say that whoever will emerge at
the end of the day as the Governor in 2007 in Ondo State will depend on a number
of factors including the candidate’s acceptance by citizens of the state, the
preparedness of the incumbent governor to put smiles on the faces of the people
and the clout of the political party on whose platform the candidate is
contesting.
They are, however, unanimous that the
bandwagon effect, which saw the PDP winning all the elective positions in 2003
will be non-existent in 2007. Belonging to the mainstream of the Nigerian
politics, as was used in 2003, will be immaterial to the electorate, who have
now tested it and found that there are no special benefits attached to belonging
to the mainstream political party.
One is not foreclosing the possibility of
realignments among the personalities within the political parties. But at the
end of the day, the progressives may bounce back. Besides, the Yoruba agenda
might be irrelevant to the people, who are now aggrieved that it was used to
lure them into political imprisonment in 2003.
Political watchers further maintain that
politics of Bitumen, will have no role as people will prefer to elect a governor
that is prepared to spend state funds within the state.
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