The man, Olusola Oke

0
1747
OrijoReporter.com, olusola oke

Of the three leading candidates, Oke is the only one relatively free from legal battle for now. Initially, the AD National Legal Adviser, Mr. Kehinde Aworele challenged Oke’s candidature in the light of Article 21.4 of the AD Constitution. The article requires that any governorship candidate must be a member of the party for at least six months before he or she can emerge the party flagbearer.

However, Aworele explained why he withdrew the court action challenging Oke’s eligibility. He said he discontinued the action to avoid anything, which he said, might affect the victory of the AD flagbearer. So, he said the party leadership “did not want a situation where there would be a petition against his eligibility after the election. There is no crack in the walls of the Alliance for Democracy.”

But Oke did not defect to the AD initially. After he fell out with the APC, Oke sought to realise his aspiration in Action Alliance (AA). But due to the interference of the northern element in the Ondo politics, the South-west leaders persuaded Oke to contest on the AD platform. So, Oke was asked to defect to the AD because it originated from the South-west and people could easily identify with it.

Across the South-west, the AD leaders have already rallied around Oke. Similarly, the Oke candidature received support in the rank of the South-west leaders, especially after Jegede suffered setback.

Aside that the AD and the key leaders in the region accepted his candidature, Oke had been able to garner support from the PDP. Being former PDP National Adviser, Oke had gained much ground in the PDP circle, which according to reports, might swing the state’s electoral pendulum towards him.

Even in Ondo State, the popularity of Oke is growing wide and wild. However, the Rotimi Akeredolu Campaign Organisation had alleged that the political lieutenants of Tinubu “are working for Oke.”

After he issued a statement calling for Oyegun’s resignation, Tinubu had refused to talk about the Ondo election. To demonstrate his neutrality, the APC national leader had travelled out of Nigeria to avoid a situation, which one of his loyalists said, might link him to the Ondo politics.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day. Stay informed with the Orijo Reporter's leading coverage of Nigerian and world news.
Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here