Ondo Guber: Insiders Tell Things Agboola Ajayi Needs To Do

As campaigns for the November 16, 2024 gubernatorial election get underway, insiders have highlighted some of the areas Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), needs to focus on.

A former deputy governor of Ondo State, Ajayi is heading into the election with a deep understanding of the inner workings of the main political parties.

He served as deputy governor of the state under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was the gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for the 2020 election, and is presently the flagbearer of the PDP for this year’s governorship election.

Although his ability to secure top positions in different political parties—backed by his familiarity with the workings of government—is believed to give him an edge, it also comes with the label of opportunist in some quarters.

Opponents have used the tag of opportunist against Ajayi since the 2020 gubernatorial election.

The former deputy governor left the APC under the cloud of a fallout with his principal—the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu—and defected to the PDP in pursuit of the gubernatorial ticket.

He jumped ship when he couldn’t achieve this objective and switched to ZLP. The three political parties have different political ideologies, giving rise to claims of lack of commitment and loyalty to core values against Ajayi.

Dispelling this narrative is listed as one of the key tasks he needs to undertake on the campaign trail.

One of the major gains of Ajayi’s transition across political parties is his support base in different places. This has made him the preferred choice of disgruntled members across political platforms, especially in the APC. But insiders insist he still battles with statewide appeal, particularly when compared to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governorship candidate of the ruling APC, who has leveraged the power of incumbency to secure wider exposure and connections with the grassroots.

“While Ajayi is popular in the southern part of Ondo, his appeal in the central and northern districts needs to be worked on compared to Aiyedatiwa,” sources say.

However, there are those who insist that his standing across the state is normal, based on claims that the South is his stronghold, while he is eating into his rivals’ support in other regions to consolidate his position.

Although there are some 17 other gubernatorial candidates jostling for the number one seat in Ondo State, all eyes are on Ajayi and Aiyedatiwa because of their history.

That Ajayi’s ambition represents the aspiration of a region that has been sidelined in state politics—Ondo South – is expected to galvanize huge support for him from the area. However, internal fighting within his party may fritter away this advantage.

The PDP is engulfed in a supremacy tussle, with divisions hampering efforts to present a formidable front as the election draws near. Interestingly, Ajayi and his backers are taking solace in the fact that Aiyedatiwa is suffering the same fate in the APC.