The ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) sprung surprises across the length and breadth of Ondo State, in the just concluded Presidential and National House of Assembly’s 2023 general election.
With the result of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ruling party decimated the ranks of the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election. Before the election, PDP had two senators from the last general election.
They were representing Central Senatorial District and the Southern Senatorial District. The opposition party also has four House of Representative members in the last election.
Apart from the division in the PDP national leadership, that is the G-5 imbroglio of which the former governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko was part of, the party in the state is also riddled with its own internal crisis.
The already badly shaken PDP took a turn for the worse a few days before the election, when members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party called for the resignation of Fatai Adams as chairman. The committee, which met with the leadership of the party, alleged that the chairman could not lead the party to victory in the forthcoming general elections.
The SWC members accused Adams of highhandedness, lack of transparency, and polarisation of the party across the 18 councils of the state, among several other allegations. The party lost all the National Assembly lawmakers, including two senators and members representing Irele/Okitipupa Federal constituency, Hon. Gboluga Ikengboju.
The APC in the just concluded general election, dealt a blow to the PDP by giving the party only one House of Representatives member from the Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency. For what it’s worth, APC shared similar internal turmoil like PDP.
However, despite the crises, APC was able to put its house together and come out stronger to give PDP a good fight at the poll. APC at a meeting of its stakeholders led by its chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, ensured that they infiltrated opposition political parties to the advantage of the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other candidates of the party ahead of the poll.
The APC party however, lost Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, with Hon. Tajudeen Adefisoye(Small Alhaji).Adefisoye who represented APC in the election, lost out to the candidate of the PDP, Hon. Festus Akingbaso Akingbaso scored 24,263 to defeat incumbent APC’s Hon. Tajudeen Adefisoye, who polled 20,064 to come second. Prince Jimi Odimayo defeated the incumbent lawmaker representing the Constituency, Hon Gboluga Ikengboju of the PDP with 23,572.
Hon. Donald Ojogo of the APC has won the Ilaje / Ese-Odo Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives to defeat Hon. Kolade Akinjo. Ojogo polled 26,291 votes to defeat Akinjo who had 22,489 in the result collated and announced by INEC.
