By Allen Sowore Esq
Without a doubt, one of the most significant and recurring themes in the lead-up to the 2024 Governorship Election in Ondo State is that the majority of the key players are deeply rooted in local politics. To put it more precisely, they are “political kids and kin.”
As Julius Caesar famously said in Act 2, Scene 2 of one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works:
“Danger knows full well
That Caesar is more..
We are two lions littered in one day.”
The major contestants—His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC, His Excellency Alfred Agboola Ajayi of the PDP, Olugbenga Edema of the NNPP, and Chief Olusola Ebiseni of the LP—are all from the two intertwined local government areas. Originally, it was the Ilaje/Ese-Odo LGA, now divided into Ilaje and Ese-Odo LGAs, but they remain one Federal Constituency. We know each other very well.
I recently read an article penned by the esteemed Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kennedy Peretei, where he made a concerted effort to twist and downplay the significant losses PDP has been experiencing due to the ongoing exodus of its members.
Without sounding vainglorious. I have resolved that no blatant public lie from the opposition will pass through the public space unchallenged. We know ourselves.
I sympathize with Mr. Peretei, who laboured to conceal the truth under headlines he highlighted: “Tsunami Hits Ondo PDP,” “Ondo PDP Now Dead,” “Ondo PDP Sinks,” and many more, which actually reflect the reality on the ground in Ondo state.
I must also refute his attempt to distort our political narrative by presenting inaccurate figures with conflicting stories. The truth is that PDP has only won the governorship election twice in Ondo State since 1999, and both times were tainted by deceit and fraud.
In 2003, former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo misled the six Southwest governors, who genuinely supported his re-election after he was criticized for his lack of home-based support in the 1999 Presidential Election. The second instance of PDP’s success was later exposed as a monumental fraud by the judiciary when the Court of Appeal in Benin declared Dr. Olusegun Mimiko the rightful winner of that election.
I will refrain from commenting on Peretei’s attempt to diminish Dr. Olusegun Mimiko’s political stature, given that Peretei himself rose to prominence as the Chairman of Ese-Odo LGA under Mimiko’s leadership. That’s a moral burden he may have to bear for a long time.
In law, we say “res ipsa loquitur”—the fact speaks for itself. Dr. Olusegun Mimiko is the most successful politician in the history of Ondo State. He started his political career early, serving as a commissioner, Secretary to the State Government, Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and a two-term governor. Most importantly, he remains the only living former governor, a rare privilege!
The secretive labeling and categorization of notable political leaders and elder statesmen, who have served the state meritoriously, simply to win an argument, is both uncharitable and misleading. How can two-term former members of the House of Representatives—Chief Joseph Akinlaja, Honourable Kolade Akinjo, Chief (Mrs.) Esther Ebiwonjumi, and numerous other senior citizens—be dismissed as negligible?
Unfortunately, Mr. Peretei’s error is notable when he uses the term “political prostitute.” To be honest, who is a political prostitute? Those who live in glass houses should not cast the first stone. A word to the wise is enough.
I have no problem with PDP’s recent efforts to attract what we call “Political Direct Foreign Investment” (PDFI). It’s beneficial for the economy of our dear Sunshine State. However, the truth must not be distorted.
The wind is already blowing, and the truth is being revealed. On August 18th, 2024, coincidentally, the Governor of Ondo State and candidate of the ruling APC, His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, visited Arogbo Kingdom, the homestead of Kennedy Peretei. As with his visits to other LGAs, the message was clear—the next election is for Lucky.
The political leader of the Arogbo Ibe Kingdom, Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, declared full support for the Governor. In his exact words: “Governor Aiyedatiwa is one of our own, and there is no other party for us but the APC. On behalf of the entire Ese Odo Local Government, I assure you of our full support and 100 percent of our votes come November 16.”
If democracy is truly about the people, if charity indeed begins at home, and if the people’s votes genuinely count, then the PDP may not win any local government in the upcoming election. This is the true side of the story, not the distorted version.
Allen Sowore Esq is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategic Communication.
19th August, 2024
