‘Akeredolu is candidate to beat’

In this piece Oluwafunmilayo Omotosho highlights the factors that will make Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) to win next Saturday’s poll.

 

Less than one week to the governorship election in Ondo State, a clearer picture of the possible outcome of the election is already emerging. Governor Oluwrotimi Akeredolu’s continuing embrace by the people, particularly the elites, the people in the suburb and the public servants is boosting the chances of the incumbent in the October 10, 2020, election.

At no time before has there been a better and clearer choice for the people to choose between two visions and two different agendas for the future of the state. Governor Akeredolu has shown the people that with dedication and astute leadership style, a state can progress even with limited allocation from the federal purse.

The governor sealed a progressive pact with the people in 2016 and he has delivered on all the promises, ranging from road construction, industrialisation, health and education among others. And to reward him for keeping to those promises, the people have lined up behind him with promises of their votes.

Of great importance was the resolution of the crisis within the APC, which no doubt has strengthened the chances of the party in the election. With the decision of all party leaders like Senator Ajayi Borrofice and Dr. Segun Abraham, in the northern senatorial district; Chief Olusola Oke, Issac Kekemeke, Ife Oyedele, Jimi Odimayo and Amb. Sola Iji, from the southern senatorial district, the APC is expected to coast home to victory in the two districts, while the central senatorial district is expected to be a battle ground among the three major political parties.

Factors likely to influence the final result:

 

Power rotation among senatorial districts     

The election is generally seen as a battle among the three senatorial zones of the state. The three major candidates in the election represent the three zones. Incumbent Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of the APC is flying banner of the northern senatorial district; the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, is from the central, while the candidate of the ZLP, Agboola Ajayi, is from the south.

 

Equitable distribution of power

The immediate past Governor Segun Mimiko set the balling rolling by serving a two-term of eight years. With that in mind, the general opinion among the people is that a template for electing future governors in the state has been laid. Hence, the people of the northern senatorial district are seeing Akeredolu’s second term bid as their own project. It will also be recalled that this opinion played a crucial role in the outcome of the 2016 election, because Jegede, the PDP candidate at the time was viewed as a perpetuation of the Mimiko administration and the central senatorial district.

Going by this unwritten understanding that power should equitably rotate among the three senatorial districts of the state, the song on the lips of the people of the northern district is for Governor Akeredolu to complete a second term. It is the same with the southern district who would rather wait for another four years of Akeredolu to have a shot on the governorship seat.

 

Akeredolu’s four-year score card

With his sterling performances in the various critical sectors, Akeredolu, who has been christened as the Talk and Do Governor by the people, has rekindled the hope of the people in political leadership and proving that the decision of the elites, particularly the public servants opt for him in place of the inept government of the immediate-past administration has not been in vain.

After years of failed promises by politicians and what has come to be known as ‘political promises’, the people of the state are having a different taste of political leadership. With his blunt and sincere disposition to governance, the people now understand a governor who will stand by his words and will never promise them the impossible.

For the first time in a long while, a government is making a genuine effort to attract industries to the state. The industrial revolution in the state has taken a very strong foothold. The Ore Industrial Hub is bubbling with industrial activities with the capacity to turn around the economic fortunes of the state.

Nigeria’s first HDF and MDF factory is now rolling. The factory, a joint venture between Ondo State and Weewood Plywood, will not only reduce the importation of the HDF and MDF plywood from China, but is expected to put an end to it in the long run.

Already, about 1,000 people have been employed for the ethanol factory for direct jobs. The plant is also expected to provide jobs for more than 10,000 people, particularly cassava farmers and traders.

 

Local farmers are excited about a ready and lucrative market for their goods.

The WinWin Textile factory located inside the park commenced production of textile thread a few months ago. With 300 workers already employed, WinWin Textile has helped to ease the problem of unemployment on the people, especially the locals, who for the first time have found a worthwhile venture outside the civil service.

Today, the almost 10,000 hectares of land allocated for the /Wewood afforestation project by Governor Akeredolu is beginning to yield the expected result, as the trees continue to grow into maturity. And perhaps the biggest of the business drives so far, the sea port, dubbed Port Ondo, is receiving the desired Federal Government’s attention.

In the education sector, 662 public primary schools spread across the state have either been totally reconstructed or renovated and fitted with computer and leisure facilities that have combined to make learning easy for the children.

The story is the same with infrastructure. Governor Akeredolu’s success in road construction has been described as both unprecedented and magical. However, the icing on the cake is the construction of the Redemption Bridge in Ore and the levelling and construction of a dual carriage way on the mysterious Oke Alaboju hill in Ikare Akoko.

 

 Jegede in Mimiko’s shadow

The candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, is seen by many as part of the rot and hardship the immediate past administration heaped on the people. The administration in which he was the commissioner for justice and a powerful cabinet member owed the public servants seven months salaries. The infrastructural deficiencies were noticeable everywhere, with major roads across the state suffering from years of neglect.

Worst still, the education sector, which in the recent past was the pride of the state, was almost comatose. At best, the education policy was aimed at producing school leavers that struggled to pass in external examinations like WAEC and NECO.

Paradoxically, while majority of the primary schools across the state, including the capital city, Akure, were in serious and various state of ruins, a few blocks of schools, tagged Mega schools, were scattered around in selected areas in the state, leaving pupils and students from many communities in the hinterlands having to travel miles to get to school. To many, the construction of the mega schools was a mere effort to put money in the pockets of a few loyalists.

The strange imbalance created by the absurd education policy ultimately led to huge drop in public primary schools attendance across the state with parents opting for private schools, even in the villages. But the ugly narrative has changed with the construction or renovation of more than 700 public primary schools which left no village in the state out.

Despite countless number of overseas trips and promises by top leaders of the Governor-Mimiko administration, there was no noticeable or genuine efforts was made to attract industries to the state. More painful to the people was the fact that the period was one of the best ever witnessed in terms of federal allocations, which stood at double digits in billions of naira.

It is also very important to note that the people of the state are still seething with anger over the pains inflicted on them by the administration of former Governor Segun Mimiko. Now may be the time to visit the sin of the father on the son with their votes on Election Day.  It will be a tough task for Jegede to extricate himself from the sins of the Mimiko administration.

Having experienced Akeredolu’s style of governance, which in most areas is at variance with the style adopted by Mimiko, the song on the lips of the people is never again. It is not for nothing that the people now refer to Akeredolu as a ‘talk and do’ governor because of their experience with his predecessor, who most times spoke from both sides of the mouth.

As governor, Dr. Segun Mimiko viewed governance as an opportunity to play politics. Even when the state’s economy was showing signs of distress and government could not pay the salaries of its workers, the governor continued with his twin populist programmes- free school shuttle and the mother and child hospitals, both of which put heavy strains on the state. His interest, of course is to continue to look good in the eyes of the people. The result was a seven months’ salary arrears and unpaid fees to WAEC, which were cleared by the Akeredolu Administration.

He also ensured that all the policies of his predecessor were trashed. Whatever project that was left unfinished were totally abandoned and left to rot. On the other hand, Akeredolu ensured the continuation and completion of all the projects unfinished by the Mimiko administration and even ensured that the plaque unveiled during the commissioning bore Mimiko’s name.

 

Agboola not yet ripe for governorship role

The decision of the candidate of the ZLP, Agboola Ajayi to run on the platform of a political party generally believed to be owned by former Governor Mimiko has no doubt raised the stakes. This has also deepened the feud between Mimiko and his former attorney-general and candidate of the PDP, from whose support base the ZLP has poached its members from. All these are playing out in Akeredolu’s favour.

Far from this, for a state that places high premium on sophistry and intellect, Agboola is seen by many as not being in the class of the other two major contenders, both of who are senior and reputable lawyers. But of more concern to the people is the bitter manner in which he parted ways with his principal. This has brought back the sad memories of the feud between Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Akin Omoboriowo.

 

Forward ever

With the giant strides and unprecedented success of the Akeredolu administration in all the sectors, it is not surprising that the people have vowed never fall for the deceit employed by the previous administration in the management of government activities.