By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Electoral success achieved at fourth trial by President Muhammadu Buhari may have started at second contest smiling at Professor Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), if reality on ground in the major cities of Ondo State is anything to go by, The DEFENDER can authoritatively report.
Eyitayo Jegede, who started setting his eyes on Alagbaka, the Ondo State seat of power in the state capital Akure in 2016, had the popular project, that could have favourably delivered him to the number one seat in Nigeria’s most sensitive state, scuttled by two factors.
The two factors, our investigations revealed, were the chains of litigation occasioned by the then controversial leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) both at national and state levels which impossed Jimoh Ibrahim on the state branch and secondly, on the long run, President Buhari’s personal appeal to Akure Division and by extension the Ondo State people to give him their votes for All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).
This time, especially as the President will sustain his commitment to conduct of free, fair and credible elections like in Edo, the coast is beginning too clear for the Akure Oloyemekun-born professor of law, who has remained resilient with his party the PDP for the purpose of achieving his aim of not only unseating the incumbent but also, more realistically, succeeding him.
The point driven forth by the EYI project this time appears to be like what happened in Edo State where the party did not matter but the personality. But in Ondo State, the slight upward difference is the course. Akure people say, ‘O To Ge’ (Enough is Enough).
They say since creation, while four of the Five Divisions that constitute the Federating Unit have successively produced governors, Akure Division has persistently been shortchanged yet it is the biggest in terms of votes ownership and influence.
One of the Articles of Understanding they are passing around, which has held convincing grounds, was stumbled upon by The DEFENDER.
It said: “We have five (5) Divisions from old Ondo Province which metamorphise to current Ondo State, comprising distinctive cultural entities. They’re (1) AKOKO Division Chief Adefarati.(2) OWO Division. Chief Ajasin & Akeredolu. (3) AKURE Division. NONE. (4) Ondo Division, Olusegun Mimiko. (5) Okitipupa Division, Olusegun Agagu. Ondo State did not start nor emerge in 1979, we have HISTORY, EQUITY & JUSTICE as we all say abhors & detest “IREJE” (meaning cheating). It’s AKURE DIVISION’s turn. EYI ni Olorun fe, EYI Lokan EYI si ni OLORUN YAN, nitori pe AKURE LOKAN. Nature abhors cheating, Gods reject cheating, People revolt cheating, AKURE is AGAINST CHEATING. Turn by Turn lo LAIYE. Ajoje lo mu Ayo dun. AKURE LIKAN. EYI ti OLUWA FE LO SURE for ONDO 2020 Election.”
The coming of Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on Sunday to join the EYI project for the Ondo 2020 governorship election, has come not only as added advantage but also, more seriously, as a very huge boost to the Eyitayo Jegede’s campaign.
Makinde, on his way to Ibadan after monitoring Edo State governorship poll won by his party’s candidate Governor Godwin Obaseki, had a stopover in Akure to mobilize support for PDP ahead of the October 10 election.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who incidentally is the Chairman PDP National Campaign Council for the state, seized the stopover, to accompany Jegede in his grassroots campaign trail that toured Akure North Local Government Area communities.
The campaign trip took both Jegede and the Oyo governor to places including Ogbese township as Makinde’s tweet read, “On our way back home from Edo State, we stopped in Ondo State to join the campaign train of our great party,
at Ogbese town, Akure North Local Government Area.”
While addressing Party supporters, he said PDP victory in Edo would serve as moral booster ahead of Ondo State governorship election.
Makinde noted that Jegede possesses leadership qualities to take the state to greater heights and, therefore, advised the electorate to vote him in order to install a responsive government in Ondo State for the next four years.
