Ondo PDP crisis takes toll on business

Pascal, one of the popular street urchins in Akure metropolis, sat with his fellows at a social event, waiting on celebrities and personalities who graced the occasion, as usual, to eke out a living by praising and eulogising them to get some money out of their pockets. But they were downcast.

“Omo-aye, town red,” he remarked, with his forehead tilted in his cupped palms on the prop of his elbows on his laps.“Walahi, this PDP gbege spoil show! By now, I be dey think say I for don make thousands. Haa, omo, Eyi-for-sure, Eyitayo Jegede, Omo-aye; we for don campaign far, make plenty money now o.”

“Na thunder go fire that Jimoh,” another urchin interrupted, more visibly angry. “If no be am come jamma Eyi-Mafo campaign tours, pour sand-sand for our garri, you no know how much we for don make now?”

“See o,” Pascal continued, with palms outstretched, “dis bastard, campaign the guy no fit do. Everywhere just dry like say we no dey do election. You sure say dem no go shift dis election now?”

One of the urchins hissed: “That Jimoh, that one mean business? The guy show dey spoil show for PDP to favour APC. Akeredolu, Oke, all of dem put together, dem no dey yashu like Iroko. In fact, kosori won nibe; trailer lo ma pa iyalaya anybody wey against Eyitayo! INEC must allow Eyi-for-sure o. I no dey dis roborebe wey all these parties dey do o.”

These have been the situation of things in Ondo State few days ahead of the November 26 governorship election.Even the touts and lackeys, who felt that the prevalent crises among the major political parties might also make INEC to shift the election, like it did in Edo State, all is not well.

Since the replacement of the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) with the name of the businessman, Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) penultimate Thursday, there have been mixed feelings about the development.  

The INEC based its action on a ruling by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, ordering the commission to recognise Ibrahim as the authentic flag bearer of the party.

The ruling, which came like a Sword of Damocles in the propitious campaigns and acceptability of Jegede on October 14, there were series of efforts to forestall every move by INEC and the judiciary to tamper with his candidature.

A man who owns a printing press around the popular Stadium Road and hub of the printers, Adewale Ige, lamented: “Markets are already on fire,” adding that the situation was having adverse effects on businesses, when compared to months back since when Jegede, an indigene of Akure, was announced as the party’s candidate.

“As you can see,” pointing to the lined up printing shops in the area, “nobody is patronising us. Most of the billboards you see out there, they were the ones erected before INEC published Ibrahim’s name.

“Since then, our sales nosedived with Eyitayo’s predicament.”Ige disclosed that he had obtained a loan facility from some financial institutions to stock up his shop with materials for the electioneering period, but now at a big risk, as the propensity to sell in the metropolis has been affected by the prevailing situation that hit the Akure people, his potential customers, the most.

He said prior to the replacement, some members of EVG often called at his office to produce billboards, pamphlets, insignias, handkerchiefs, wristbands, posters and other printed souvenirs in Jegede’s name for the campaign.

“But now, on whose account? With the present situation of things, especially when the protest is still serious, who dares hold anything traceable to other parties, let alone pasting the posters of Ibrahim?

“It is affecting our business a bad deal,” the printer said.It was more pronounced the following day, that is last Saturday, when there was a purported declaration from the palace of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, who has the prerogative to open and close market activities in the ancient town, ordering that all stalls be shut to protest the perceived injustice against their son, Jegede.

An Igbo woman, who sells food in town and identified herself as Mama Tochukwu, said it has been a harrowing experience for her and some other people dealing in perishable goods.

“I have bought all I will need to prepare food the next day on that fateful Thursday evening, only to wake up the next morning to see tyres burning everywhere and people protesting over Jegede’s case.

“Most of the things I bought got spoilt, because it was a two-day protest that fizzled into Sunday and as you know, many food vendors don’t cook on Sundays,” she lamented.

Aside the commercial effects, it tended to cause internecine clashes, as other residents of Akure, who are from other parts of the state and country, could hardly declare their support for other parties and candidates of their choice, as it became narrowed to a communal issue.

Even before the announcement of Jegede as the authentic PDP candidate, there were reported cases of Akure landlords forbidding their tenants from supporting other parties and candidates or be evicted.

Unusually, the newsstands, popularly known as vendors’ spots, which used to be crowded with people reading newspapers for free and discussing politics freely as early as 7:00am every day now remain deserted and scanty with people, who seldom talk politics.

However, some Akure indigenes have been so proactive on social media and other platforms, warning their kinsmen to desist from whatever action that can plunge the state into crises.

They warned that if violence and further clashes should erupt, as predicted by some people, the ancient city and its neighbouring towns would suffer it the most.     

Consequently, the anxieties and uncertainty got expression through a pressure group in the state, Ilaje/Ese-Odo Renaissance Group (IRG), which implored INEC to postpone the election by two weeks to allow all the major political parties bedevilled by internal crises resolve their problems.  

There is no doubt that the PDP crisis is adversely affecting life and business in Ondo State, especially in the capital, because of political affiliation.