‘Don’t give Ondo South Senatorial slot to Ilaje/Ese-Odo’
The race to replace the lawmaker representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has heightened, as gladiators flooded the political space to sell their candidacies to the electorate. Ibrahim,
The race to replace the lawmaker representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has heightened, as gladiators flooded the political space to sell their candidacies to the electorate.
Ibrahim, upon confirmation as an Ambassador by the Senate, has been posted to the United Nations as the country’s Permanent Representative by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is expected to formally withdraw his membership of the Red Chamber any moment from now.
The race to replace him appears to have taken a new dimension, as a group in the All Progressives Congress (APC), APC Legacy Aboriginal Forum (ALAF), has cautioned Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa against appropriating Ondo South senatorial slot to his federal constituency, Ilaje/Ese-Odo.
It was learnt that those aspiring to replace Senator Ibrahim are: Morayo Lebi (Irele/Okitipupa federal constituency) a former two time member of the House of Representatives, Mayo Akinfolarin, Mathew Oyerinmade, Boye Oyewunmi (the trio from Odigbo/Ileoluji/Okeigbo federal constituency).
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Others include the former deputy governor and governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2024 election, Agboola Ajayi, as well as the newly re-elected National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of APC, Dr Isaac Kekemeke, who both hail from same Ilaje/Ese-odo federal constituency as Governor Aiyedatiwa.
ALAF, in a statement in Akure alleged that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s move was capable of eroding the confidence of four other local governments that were more populated.
They raised fears that such act might affect the President’s election.
The statement signed by the forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Kamaru Oladehinde, said: “As we all know, following his appointment as an envoy, the senator who represents Ondo South his awaiting accreditation and submission of his letters of credence at the UN in New York to assume duties, but we are already having credible feelers that the governor is pushing to field someone from the same federal constituency, which we don’t want to believe, because it is odd to contemplate such.
“If the senator has been appointed as an envoy, another local government can be considered, but not the governor’s federal constituency because this means one federal constituency will have the number one position in the state, which is the governor as well as the number one position in the senatorial district.
“This is an overload for one federal constituency; and for whatever reasons the governor contemplates such, we caution that Mr President’s election will be at a great disadvantage before the four other local governments, which cumulatively Ilaje/Ese-Odo federal constituency will correct such injustice with their votes,” the statement said.
