Some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leaders in Ondo, say the party may lose the election again, if Ondo South was not allowed to present candidate, ahead of the 2020 governorship election.
They expressed their fears in a letter jointly signed by Solomon Bitire and Chief Daisi Mafimisebi, former local government party chairmen, on behalf of other PDP leaders in Ondo South.
In the copy of the letter made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Okitipupa, addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the PDP Presidential Candidate in the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the party stalwarts called for urgent steps to avert the ugly incidence of 2016 in the state as well as the recent experiences of Kogi and Bayelsa elections won by APC respectively.
They said that it was the turn of Ondo South to produce a candidate since the outgoing Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is from Ondo North, while his predecessor, former Gov. Olusegun Mimiko is from Ondo Central.
The letter listed the rotation pattern being followed since 1999: Chief Adebayo Adefarati (Ondo North), 1999 – 2003; Dr Olusegun Agagu (Ondo South) 2003 – 2009; Dr Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo Central) 2009 – 2017 and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo North) 2017 till 2020.
“After careful assessment of the chances of our party to win the forthcoming election, we are disturbed that urgent steps should be taken by the leadership to avert the ugly occurrences in Kogi and Bayelsa, God forbid!
“It has been carefully observed that since 1999, the electorate in Ondo State have never supported or voted into power any political party that tried to sacrifice the turn of one Senatorial District for another.
“In 2016, when Mimiko tried to alter the rule by imposing his kinsman, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) from the same district as PDP flagbearer, this spelt doom for the party which gave way for the APC.
“The belief of everyone in Ondo State is that it is the turn of Ondo South since the outgoing governor, Akeredolu is from Ondo North, while his predecessor, Dr Mimiko hails from Ondo Central.
“The winning formula for the PDP in the coming gubernatorial election is for the party’s candidate to emerge from the Ondo South Senatorial District,’’ the leaders said in the letter.
According to them, we pray our party leadership will rise and pick the governorship candidate from the favoured zone (Ondo South) to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2016.
“We also pray the leadership of the party at the national level will not allow itself to be used as instrument to disrupt the political cultures and tradition of Ondo State electorate,” they said. (NAN)
