By Dayo Johnson

WITH the local government elections conducted and won by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the race to occupy Alagbaka Government House in Ondo State is gradually hotting up.

Already, gladiators from the respective political parties, are strategising to outwit one another to emerge as the flag bearer of the their party.
But the recent local council polls, seven months to the governorship election, was seen by political observers in the state as a strategic political calculation to win the election.

The opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State having peeped into the script being written by the ruling party made frantic efforts thrice within two weeks to abort the poll.

It was, however, botched as the state and the Federal high courts described the suits as an abuse and that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit. While the opposition sulked over the rulings, the PDP went to town to celebrate the successful political coup.

Findings showed that the new helmsman in the 18 council areas of the state were strategically installed at this auspicious time to mobilize and galvanize support for whoever emerges as the governorship candidate of the party.

The new council chairmen are however in a kind of a fix because their failure to deliver the required number of votes across their councils for the party’s flag bearer in the governorship November election would certainly put an abrupt end to their own tenure.

For them to continue to enjoy their new offices, they needed to work like ‘jackals’ to ensure continuity of the PDP government in the state after the tenure of Governor Olusegun Mimiko popularly referred to as Iroko.

*Mimiko

While the newly elected administrators in the councils have retired to their localities to work in order to preserve their own tenure, opposition parties are equally not taking chances.

Agunloye moves to SDP

The dumping of the PDP by a former minister for Power and Steel, Dr Olu Agunloye for a relatively unattractive Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the state has altered the political permutations in the state.

Before he joined the Chief Olu alae led SDP in the state, the party was not in contention but now the governorship race is going to be fought on a tripod- PDP, APC and SDP. basis,

All eyes were on Agunloye who joined the SDP and threw his hat into the ring to slug it out in the November election. The coming on board of Agunloye and his Omoluabi structure, which has its field soldiers strung across the 18 council areas of the state, was seen by political observers as a wake up call for both the ruling PDP and the opposition APC that the SDP in the November election would not be a push over.

With the coming on board of the former Minister to the SDP, life has been brought to the party. In fact, party members from both the ruling PDP and APC are joining the SDP in droves courtesy of his “door to door “ campaign to woo new members to the party.

Findings showed that those leaving the PDP for SDP are worried that the outgoing governor will want to install his “puppet” to ensure continuity which many of them detest. Also of worry, is the fact that those jumping the APC ship opined that it would soon implode going by the about 40 governorship aspirants it presently paraded.

The APC crowd
Of the over 40 governorship aspirants in APC, only about 10 of them have all it takes to occupy the position. Others are dreamers, pretenders or are just seeking relevance.

A sizeable number of those eyeing the seat in the party are “disgruntled” leaders who left the PDP before and after the general election. They are seen generally by the APC leaders and members as “wanting to reap where they never sowed”.

Others that are also working round the clock to clinch the ticket include, a House of Representatives member, Bode Ayorinde, Moyosore Niran-Oladunni, Tunji Abayomi, Olusegun Abraham and Olaoluwa Adeyeye.

While the likes of Olusola Oke and Victor Olabimtan are also in the frontline and equally formidable aspirants, their albatross was that they were part of the   PDP clan before they defected after the last general election. So trusting them with such an elevated position by the leaders of the APC may be an uphill task.

Mimiko’s joker
The coast seems not clear yet within the PDP as to who will succeed Mimiko. The body language of the governor is vague as he still keeps to his chest the joker of who will succeed.

Those close to him said when he is asked about the November election he replied them that he is still praying on who will succeed him and waiting for God’s direction.

With this submission, Iroko has left his party leaders and members guessing on his successor. Infact they are clueless about this.
What is certain is that the November election would not be an easy ride for the ruling party in the state as the outgoing governor would have to contend with many forces that are bent on seeing that he install a successor.

On the other hand, the outcome of the primaries of the main opposition APC would determine where the pendulum would swing.
Political observers believed that the party may implode if the wrong candidate was picked and this may buy sympathy for the ruling party or the SDP .