By Akinrinlola Olumide
I watched the presidential campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress in Akure earlier this week and observed how the party’s national leadership carefully managed the deep divisions within the Ondo State chapter.
The leaders appeared determined not to offend any of the competing groups, including the party’s official candidates, aggrieved aspirants pursuing legal redress and members of the so called rainbow coalition, many of whom are contesting on rival platforms and also mobilized their followers to support the APC presidential campaign flag off.
Large numbers of party supporters attended the rally at the Akure Township Stadium to reaffirm their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re election bid. However, the event witnessed an unusual departure from established campaign protocol.
The visiting national leaders from Abuja refrained from publicly presenting party flags to the APC’s 12 National Assembly candidates, including the senatorial and House of Representatives candidates, suggesting that all is not well within the party regarding the national assembly candidates. Why majority of the candidates holding the ticket of the party are those backed by the Abuja political force, those belonging to the camp of the state governor are in court challenging the ticket holders.
That decision suggested that the national leadership was fully aware of the fractured state of the Ondo APC, which is now divided into two broad camps: the camp of the state governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa and that of the Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji Ojo. We have three categories of candidates: official ticket holders, aggrieved aspirants seeking redress in court and former APC members contesting under rival platforms as part of the rainbow coalition.
By keeping the legislative candidates away from the main flag off ceremony, the national leadership appeared to be pursuing two objectives. First, it sought to protect President Tinubu’s campaign from local controversies. Second, it recognised that some of those in court and members of the rainbow coalition were still working for the President and that alienating them could wreak great havoc on anticipated one million target of the APC in Ondo state.
During the rally, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and the Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, appealed to state stakeholders to put aside their grievances and work towards the party’s target of delivering one million votes for President Tinubu.
The emphasis throughout the event was clearly on the presidential election. Little was said about the National Assembly candidates or the internal disputes surrounding their emergence.
From all indications, the party’s immediate priority is securing the presidential vote. The national leadership appears to believe that aggrieved members contesting on alternative platforms, similar to the political dynamics witnessed in Osun State involving Governor Ademola Adeleke, remain part of the wider political family and could eventually return to the APC after pursuing their individual ambitions.
The contradictions within the Ondo APC are particularly pronounced in Ondo South Senatorial District. The crisis has been linked to what many party members consider a serious zoning error during the primaries.
The APC produced two candidates from the same ward in Arogbo, Ese Odo Local Government Area. Donald Ojogo, the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, secured the party’s ticket for the Ilaje and Ese Odo Federal Constituency, while Isaac Kekemeke, a former National Vice Chairman of the APC in the South West, emerged as the party’s candidate for Ondo South Senatorial District.
Many stakeholders viewed the arrangement as unfair and unacceptable. Some of the stakeholders are of the strong view that it can only be one of these positions that should go to the non-Yoruba speaking Arogbo bloc of the Ese Odo Local government. Many APC leaders, particularly from Ilaje local government have vowed that they would only support one seat for the Arogbo community.
Some stakeholders I personally interviewed preferred Donald Ojogo to Isaac Kekemeke in the current contest. Similarly, these stakeholders spoke eloquently of Mathew Oyerinmade, popularly known as MATO as their preferred choice for senate regardless of party platform.
Oyerinmade, a prominent philanthropist and former APC senatorial and House of Representatives aspirant, later defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, where he became the party’s candidate for Ondo South under the rainbow coalition.
Backed by the coalition associated with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, MATO is regarded by many residents as the most popular of the senatorial candidates in Ondo South.
His grassroots appeal, combined with the zoning controversy within the ruling party, has earned him quiet sympathy and cross party support. Some disaffected APC leaders remain openly loyal to President Tinubu while supporting MATO’s Senate ambition.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been working to reconcile the various factions and has urged aggrieved stakeholders to abandon anti party activities and support all APC candidates. However, those efforts have been complicated by a viral video involving Kekemeke.
In the video, Kekemeke is seen issuing stern warnings and threats to APC leaders and members who may be considering anti party activities, boasting to use his contact and connection to fight anyone who works against him in the coming election.
The footage has generated criticism among party chieftains in the southern district. Some believe that Kekemeke’s remarks have further alienated the party elders, loyalists and other stakeholders whose support he needs.
Several hesitant leaders have described the video as a reason to withhold their support. They argue that Kekemeke has no moral standing to threaten party members over alleged anti party activities having allegedly committed anti party in the past.
One APC leader who spoke to me at length about the politics of Ondo South accused Kekemeke of having engaged in anti party activities under the leadership of the late Governor Olusegun Agagu of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The leader alleged that Kekemeke covertly supported Dr Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party during the “IROKO GBASIBE” political mantra against the PDP leadership led by Agagu. He also referred to Kekemeke’s tenure as chairman of the Ondo State APC, during which members of the state executive reportedly passed a vote of no confidence in him over allegations that he worked against the interests of the candidate of the party, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Kekemeke’s viral video is now being used by his opponents to question his appeal among party members. Several loyalists have called on the governor to allow party members to make their own choices.
They argue that since President Tinubu has maintained a relationship with supporters across party lines and continues to benefit politically from that alliance, there is nothing wrong with coalition candidates also benefiting from their relationship with the APC.
For these stakeholders, MATO remains their preferred candidate, regardless of the governor’s efforts to persuade them otherwise.
Watch the video of Kekemeke’s Controversial Remarks here.
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