By Odogbo Ikiyouleimo Success,
I would ordinarily not have joined issues with the author of the piece titled “Ondo South Senate race: Can APC afford to sideline Yoruba core voters?” published in thenationonlineng.net,
simply because the name Kayode Adebayo does not ring any bell in the political space or history of Ondo South and Ondo State, or indeed in the respected fourth estate of the realm.
However, when a poorly researched narrative laced with ethnic undertones is published and allowed to circulate unchecked, it risks misleading the unsuspecting public and poisoning the peaceful atmosphere that has defined our senatorial district for decades.
It is therefore necessary, in the interest of truth, equity and political stability, to set the record straight.
First and foremost, let it be stated categorically: Nobody in the APC in Ondo State has any reservation whatsoever about the candidacy of Honourable D.I. Kekemeke, PhD, for the Ondo South Senatorial seat. The so called “reservations” exist only in the myopic imagination of the author and perhaps a tiny clique of desperate aspirants who feel threatened by the towering stature of a man whose political pedigree dwarfs every other contender in the race.
Kekemeke is not just another aspirant; he is the pioneer State Chairman of the APC in Ondo State. He laboured tirelessly, against all odds, to build the party from the scratch, coordinated its structures across all local governments and delivered the historic victory that brought the APC to power in Ondo State.
That singular effort alone entitles him to the consideration of every true party faithful in Ondo South. To now turn round and attempt to deny him the fruit of his labour is not only ungrateful but politically suicidal to the yearnings of the good people of Ondo South Senatorial District.
The author’s demographic analysis is fundamentally flawed and heavily tainted by ethnic bias and bigotry. He claims Ese-Odo is “shared” between Ijaw and Apoi Yoruba. That is incorrect. Ese-Odo Local Government is a distinct Ijaw-speaking entity with its own proud history, culture and identity. The attempt to dilute its Ijaw character is a deliberate distortion meant to justify exclusion.
Worse still, the author conveniently forgets or deliberately ignores a fundamental truth of political justice. It is noteworthy, that out of the six local governments that make up Ondo South Senatorial District (Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo), only Ese-Odo has NEVER produced a Senator since the incipience of democracy in 1999.
This is not an ethnic matter; it is a matter of equity, fairness, inclusivity and rotational justice. Why should one entire local government be perpetually excluded simply because of its ethnic nationality? The author owes the good people of Ese-Odo and indeed the entire district an answer to this simple question.
Instead of addressing this obvious injustice, the author resorts to ethnic incitement, trying to set the Ilaje against their Ijaw neighbours with whom we have co-existed peacefully for over a century. The Ijaws and Ilajes have fished together, traded together, inter-married and built families together. To now weaponise ethnicity against Kekemeke is not only divisive but dangerous. It is a campaign of calumny orchestrated precisely because Kekemeke stands head and shoulders above every other aspirant in the race on the scale of equity, fairness, inclusivity and justice.
The author’s myopic assertion that only candidates from the Ikale, Ilaje or Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo axes can represent the district is not just insulting; it exposes his intellectual emptiness and his mission to incite the people. Ondo South is one indivisible senatorial district. No local government or ethnic group owns a monopoly of representation. To suggest that Ese-Odo must remain permanently on the sidelines is to reduce democracy to ethnic fiefdom. That is unacceptable.
For the purpose of education and historical accuracy, let it be known that Honourable D. I. Kekemeke, PhD, is not an outsider to the broader Yoruba political family of Ondo South. He has deep maternal roots in Okitipupa Local Government. He is a great-grandson of the revered Lisa of Igodan, the founder of Igodan community. The lineage is clear and unbroken: Lisa begat Ehuwa, Ehuwa begat Adeyemi, Adeyemi begat Uboolaha, Uboolaha begat mummy Ruth, and Ruth begat D. I. Kekemeke. He is therefore part and parcel of the very soil of Ondo South.
His paternal Ijaw heritage from Arogbo in Ese-Odo only adds to the rich diversity that makes our district beautiful and complete.
Beyond lineage, Kekemeke’s track record of service is unimpeachable. He has served Ondo State meritoriously as:
Secretary to the State Government (SSG),
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,
Commissioner for Works, Land and Housing and now two times Chairman, South West APC.
He has also held other critical positions that brought development to every corner of the state. These are not mere paper credentials; they are testimonies of a man who has walked the corridors of power with integrity, delivered tangible results and maintained grassroots connections across all six local governments in Ondo South and Ondo State at large.
The people of Ondo South are more at home with Kekemeke’s candidacy than with any other aspirant precisely because of this proven track record of grassroots connection, inclusive leadership and capacity to deliver.
He is not a sectional candidate; he is a unifying figure who understands the economic heartbeat of the district, from the oil and gas potentials of the coastal belt to the cocoa and agricultural wealth of the hinterland.
He is best positioned to attract federal attention to the Ore Industrial Hub, the Deep Sea Port project and the full utilisation of the 13% Derivation Fund for the benefit of the good people of Ondo State.
It is apposite to note that the author himself admitted that “Kekemeke has paid his dues in the politics of Ondo State.” If that is true and it is, then what moral or political justification exists to deny him the benefit of his labour?
The Yoruba adage the author quoted is instructive: “Ti a ba nge igi nigbo, agba ni mo ibi to yio wo si.” The elders know where the tree will fall. The elders of Ondo South know that Honourable D.I. Kekemeke is the tree that will fall in the right direction, bringing development, unity and justice to the entire district.
APC leadership in Ondo State must rise above ethnic jingoism and embrace the path of equity. The electorates are watching. The people want a Senator who can hit the ground running, who commands respect at the national level, and who truly belongs to every part of Ondo South. That man is Hon. D.I. Kekemeke, a statesman, a bridge-builder, and the credible, capable and unifying choice for the Ondo South Senatorial seat.
Ondo South Senatorial District deserves nothing less. Honourable D.I. Kekemeke, PhD is the answer.
