…PDP is dead in Ondo State.
The once-calm political waters of Ondo State have been violently stirred, as a seismic wave of defections threatens to reshape the state’s political landscape. In what can only be described as a political tsunami, over 500,000 devoted supporters of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko have made the monumental decision to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defect en masse to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This historic exodus, led by the formidable duo of Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, the trailblazing and only female Speaker in the history of the Ondo State House of Assembly, and Hon. Joseph Iyiola Akinlaja, former Member of the House of Representatives, have delivered a crushing blow to the PDP’s already faltering grip on power.
Akindele and Akinlaja are joined by a cadre of distinguished leaders, including Hon. Alabi, the erstwhile State Chairman of the PDP; Arc. Adejuyigbe, former Commissioner of Education and Local Government Chairman; Engr. Gboye Adegbenro, former Commissioner of Works and former Deputy Governorship Candidate; Barr. Tunde Atere, former Commissioner; Hon. Ajani; Hon. Kolade Akinjo, former Gubernatorial Candidate and Member of the House of Representatives; and Hon. Gboluga Ikengboju, another former Member of the House of Representatives.
This sweeping defection is further bolstered by a litany of other esteemed figures such as Hon. Lad-Ojomo, Omooba Eni Akinsola, former Chief Press Secretary and Senatorial Candidate; Alhaja Wey, former Special Adviser to former Governor Mimiko; Ms. Taiye Afilaka, former Special Adviser to the Governor; Alhaja SOK Ogunmodede; and Hon. Akinte. Together, they have left the PDP reeling, their departure seen as a catastrophic loss for the former ruling party and an enormous boon for the APC.
The motivations behind this mass migration are rooted in deep-seated disillusionment with the PDP’s leadership and a desire to align with the APC’s progressive agenda. The defection has irrevocably transformed the political landscape of Ondo State, with ramifications that could potentially reshape the 2024 gubernatorial race and beyond.
The APC, under the strategic leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has deftly engineered this political coup. Starting with the surprising appointment of Dr. Kayode Ajulo, SAN, a former Chairman of OSRC under Mimiko’s administration and former National Secretary of the Labour Party, as the State Attorney General, Aiyedatiwa has pursued a unification strategy that has effectively set the stage for what appears to be a one-horse race in the upcoming gubernatorial election on November 16, 2024.
Amidst this turmoil, rumours are swirling that Hon. Festus Akingbaso, the running mate to PDP’s gubernatorial candidate HE Agboola Ajayi, is contemplating resignation due to his close ties to the government house.
This colossal defection is a watershed moment in Ondo State’s political history, as the APC appears to be working assiduously to dominate the forthcoming election, make it a one-horse race, and render the PDP dead in the State.