Motivated by selfish-interests, fair-weather politicians in Ondo State are on the over-drive of cross carpeting ahead of the November 16 governorship election. But their loss of ideological footing is a dent to the bread-and-butter politicians, and the party system in general,
ADEWALE MOMOH reports. 

A new wave of political realignment and defection has hit the Ondo State polity as the state prepares for the off-cycle governorship election billed for November 16, this year.
   
The aim of those who now jostle from one political party to another is either to be part of the ballot or reposition to become relevant in the polity in the future. Among those realigning are politicians, who had wanted tickets of a particular political party in the coming election but failed to do so, and those looking beyond the coming exercise.
  
The development, which has sparked debate in the state, is sweeping across the major political parties such as All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Labour Party (LP).
 
Shortly after the primaries of the APC and PDP, aspirants who contested for the governorship ticket but were unsuccessful, have found refuge in other parties, repositioning themselves as standard-bearers for the upcoming election.
 
For instance, Olugbenga Edema, who lost APC governorship ticket to the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in April this year, defected to NNPP, where he subsequently picked the ticket of the party. 
 
Similarly, after losing the governorship ticket to the candidate of the PPD Agboola Ajayi, Bamidele Akingboye and Olusola Ebiseni, who is the scribe of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, defected to the SDP and LP, respectively. Akingboye has since clinched the SDP governorship ticket, while Ebiseni has become standard bearer of LP.
 
But the rumoured defection of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko is unsettling the polity.  Mimiko, a PDP stalwart, is said to have concluded plans to move to the APC before the election. 

In fact, he was seen with APC governors in Edo State celebrating the victory of Monday Okpebholo. The former governor has a history of switching parties. He had traversed the Action for Democracy (AD), Labour Party (LP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and PDP.
 
Findings show that his planned migration to APC is in search of a winning platform to realise his senatorial ambition in 2027. He had contested to represent Ondo Central Senatorial district on the platform of ZLP in 2019 but lost. Moving to the APC, many believe will boost his chances in 2027.
 
Currently, some of his loyalists considered to be his forerunners have dumped PDP to APC. These include Joseph Akinlaja (former House of Representatives member), Jumoke Akindele (former Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly), Ebenezer Alabi (former state chairman, PDP), Gboye Adegbenro (former Commissioner for Works), Kolade Akinjo (former House of Representatives member), Gboluga Ikengboju (former House of Representatives member) and Jide Adejuyigbe (former Commissioner for Education).
 
Others are, Chief Alaba Lad Ojomo, Tunde Atere, Ajani Oladipo, Funmilola Oluwadare, Solomon Adelegan, Femi Bosede, Yele Ogundipe, Dayo Akinte, Dr Dapo Iwala, Femi Ofakunrin, Olumide Olugbebi, Omowumi George, Gbenga Aro, Rauf Ogunsola, Taiye Afilaka, Adetimehin Jacob, Felix Kehinde, Babatunde Sobande, Idowu Ogunmade, Olanrewaju Longe, and Abiodun Temenu.
 
Some of these defectors from the PDP believe the party is getting weaker and not ready to win the November 16 governorship election in the state. They also attributed ongoing reforms and achievements of President Bola Tinubu as part of the reasons for their movement.
 
They said: “Our reasons for joining APC is based on the need to be part of the processes that will lead to the election of  Mr Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa as Governor of Ondo State; it is also based on the need to be part of an obvious effort to reposition our state on the path of continuous prosperity and peace.

 
“We need to contribute to the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to frontally tackle the challenges facing our nation and bring needed peace, equity, and progress to the states and the country at large.”
   
Although, some of the defectors had argued that PDP as currently run is not being positioned for victory either at the state level or at the national level.  However, contrary to what the defectors are saying about the PDP, the party also has been harvesting some prominent members of APC, with the decampees citing lack of internal democracy, hunger and hardship in the state as reasons for their decision.
 
Some of the politicians, who dumped APC for PDP include, Deborah Owosusi, Ademola Ayonijebu, Mayowa Boboye, Oloro Alejo, and Azeez Ibrahim, who led the Ebira community to drum up support for the governorship candidate of the PDP. 
 
One of the defectors, former APC Organising Secretary in Akure South, Akinwande Fayinminu, stated that the unending deceit and deception within the party has not only continued to cause more harm to their personal development as politicians but is also dangerous for the entrenchment of internal democracy within a political party.
 
According to him, “APC lacks internal democracy, which is why they are factionalised. Since they came to power, they have not integrated many members of the party. They are operating the party like an occultist group. We can’t stay in such a party any longer.
   
A Political Analyst, Jide Oladele, who spoke on the gale of defections among  politicians in the state, described the trend as a reflection of self-serving interests rather than a genuine commitment to public service. 
 
Oladele stated that the pattern of party switching in the months leading to elections raises critical questions about the integrity and accountability of politicians.
 
In an interview with The Guardian, he said: “At the moment, there is no party ideology in Nigeria, and politicians always see every election circle as a moment to recalibrate, which in most cases is a period to selfishly cajole the people.
 
“Voters ought to question whether these politicians, now donning new political party colours, will prioritise their own ambitions over the pressing issues facing the state, such as food, security, healthcare, education, and infrastructure development. 
   
“The timing of these defections, often occurring close to election dates, fuel suspicions that politicians are primarily motivated by the prospect of electoral success, rather than a sincere desire to serve the public.”
   
Meanwhile, the development has pitted the ruling APC and PDP against one another as they have persistently engaged in diatribes and throwing of tantrums.  Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Kennedy Peretei, who reacted to the situation, said that, anybody who has diligently followed Ondo State politics since 2007 will appreciate that there is nothing to all the hype about the celebrated defections.
   
He stated that those defecting used Mimiko’s name as cover, stressing that the development has attracted some scathing attacks and uncomplimentary remarks on the personality of the former governor on social media.
    
He wondered why they did not use their names, since they claimed to be big names, instead of bringing the former governor into controversy and accused APC of playing to the gallery.  He also added that the APC led government had failed the people, hence deserved no place in the governance of the state going forward.
    
“In 2014, Mimiko decided to join PDP with all his commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants, two senators, eight House of Representatives members, 25 State House of Assembly members, and all the political appointees.
   
“The entire government apparatus collapsed into the PDP. Former President Goodluck Jonathan believed that, with Mimiko and his political structure joining PDP in the state, APC stood no chance in the 2015 general elections (especially presidential, which was his interest). 
  
“Things, however, did not get better for the PDP in the 2016 governorship election. The PDP won in only two of the 18 local governments; that was how a minority party inherited the reins of power by default.”
 
Peretei who described as “laughable” reasons given by defectors to APC on the achievements of the governor said, “Can any resident of Ondo State in good conscience point to one positive thing APC government has done in nearly eight years to make life more meaningful for the people?

He said that students of tertiary institutions in the state are dropping out of school, because their parents can longer pay fees, adding that insecurity has reached such an intolerable level while many people have died because their family members could not afford medical bills.

He said, “Let me say at this juncture that the political class is a negligible fraction of the voting public. The electorates who had been pauperised and taken for granted over the years are wiser now.

“For a place like Ondo State with very enlightened minds, politicians can defect to wherever they want. When the election comes, the people will have to choose between their oppressors and those who wish to bring liberation. More importantly, while some of these defectors have never contested any elections before, others are serial election losers. So, how can they help an Aiyedatiwa to win in November? This is the flip side of the celebration about the defections.”

On his part, APC Director of Media and Publicity in Ondo State, Mr Steve Otaloro, said the defectors are not “transactional” or “flimsy,” but rather, are individuals who recognised the progress made under Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration.
 
“PDP’s criticism of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s financial management is unfounded. The state’s internally generated revenue has increased, and the governor has prioritised spending on critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.
   
“The abandoned road projects mentioned by the PDP were false claims, as work is progressing on all the ongoing projects in the state, except they’re ignorant of this or playing politics of bitterness not to admit it,” he said.