There are stronger indications that President Bola Tinubu, National leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the APC Governors’ Forum, may support Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as their preferred candidate in the coming gubernatorial primary scheduled to hold in April.
This is despite the open letter to the Presidency last week by some APC lawmakers representing Ondo State in the House of Representatives, in which they indicted Aiyedatiwa of having committed some infractions.
Investigation showed that there was a deeper agenda behind the decision of the lawmakers’ action, one of which was to stop Aiyedatiwa. It was also gathered that the majority of the aspirants, including the lawmakers, were uncomfortable that should the incumbent governor emerge as the party’s candidate and if he wins the race come November, their political future may be jeopardised in the state.
The Guardian gathered that it was in response to the rebuff treatment given to them by Aiyedatiwa that forced the lawmakers to report the incumbent governor to the President.
Further findings revealed that not being part of the crucial stakeholders’ meeting convened by Aiyedatiwa is posing serious threat to the lawmakers’ future in Ondo politics, especially if the incumbent governor peradventure secures the party’s ticket and also goes ahead to win the governorship election.
It was also gathered that all the governorship aspirants, including some of those in the House of Representatives, had hinged their chances of clinching the party’s gubernatorial ticket on the belief that Akeredolu would have supported them, but his demise changed the political equation.
Another factor that may work against the lawmakers and other contenders is that many of them did not support the presidential ambition of Tinubu during the APC’s presidential primary in 2022. They supported former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who contested but lost to the President in the presidential primary.
A source said the Presidency is yet to forgive and neither is it disposed to the majority of those that worked against the ambition of the former governor of Lagos State during the APC presidential election primary in 2022.
Another factor is that some of the contenders for the Ondo APC 2024 governorship ticket were also allegedly part of the 2016 plot with the late Akeredolu that stopped Segun Abraham, the then preferred candidate of President Tinubu.
They were said to have aligned with the former President Muhammadu Buhari to deprive Tinubu.
It was insinuated that Aiyedatiwa, whom the Presidency considered as being neutral, might be backed by the Presidency and the party leadership to reclaim the structure of APC in state.
Further information also indicated that Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the National Chairman of APC, Umar Ganduje, with major party stakeholders in the South-West are favourably disposed to Aiyedatiwa.
The APC South-West governors are also said to have indicated interest in Aiyedatiwa, who according to them, has been described as a cool-headed and calculative person, who may be more loyal to the party come 2027.
