By Banji Ayoola
Next year’s governorship election in Ondo State promises again to be a straight fight between the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the main opposition in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the latter’s candidate in the November 26, 2016 governorship election in the state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has declared his intention to contest the election again.
He will be slugging it out again with the incumbent Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, of the APC among others in what is also likely to be an epic battle between two senior advocates, as the last election was.
Jegede, who went to the last election 48 hours after he was cleared by the court as his party’s candidate, to contest with 27 others including Chief Olusola Oke, SAN of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and Dr Olu Agunloye of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, lost that election to Akeredolu.
He, Oke and Agunloye had polled second, third and fourth having scored 150,380, 126,889 and 10,147 votes respectively, against the Akeredolu’s 244,842 votes according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Jegede declared his intention to take another shot at next year’s governorship election in the state on Tuesday while addressing party leaders from Akure South Local Government Area at a meeting held at the state PDP secretariat in Akure.
He said that he had sought divine guidance over the bid and has been asked to go ahead, saying: “I am here to thank you for the support you gave me during the 2016 governorship election. I see myself as somebody who is ready to serve.
“I contested the last election and we knew the result, the following day we went to church to thank God for how far He had helped us. Now, I consulted God Almighty again, I asked if I should go ahead with this project and He told me to go ahead.
“This is not the time for the campaign. We will surely come back when the time comes. I seek your support for our great party, the PDP.”
He said: “I am asking you whether to go ahead or not? We will surely come back when the time comes. I seek your support for our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and appreciate you for all your efforts both during the 2016 governorship election and the last general elections. ”
Reacting on behalf of the leaders in Idanre local government, former Chief of Staff to former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Dr. Kola Ademujimi, noted that people are suffering in the state under the present administration.
Ademujimi who added that things are not the same again since the exit of the PDP government in the state, urged members to remain loyal to the party ahead of the coming election.
He noted that the PDP is more formidable under the current state leadership and enjoined other aspirants to join hands together to build the party.
He further disclosed that the crisis rocking the ruling party in the state now is an indication for the PDP to deliver the people of the state from the ravaging poverty the current administration bestowed on the people.
