Less than 24 hours to the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections in Nigeria, South Western Nigeria has been gripped with tension, particularly, in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, where schemes are being minutely reviewed and heightened to defeat the incumbents.
Lagos state is embroiled in a political complexity as Labour Party (LP), in which Peter Obi, its presidential candidate is the face, is doing everything political, humanly and divinely possible to unseat the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Party (APC).
In Lagos State, tomorrow’s election will be highly influenced by ethnicity as the LP currently identified with Igbos are hugely desperate to clinch the governorship seat to prove that Igbos are the new owners of Lagos State.
Though geographically Lagos belongs to the South West Yoruba-speaking people, the Igbos, who thronged the state has succeeded in buying substantial land and housing and business property thereby relatively controlling the economy of the state. Igbo’s migration from the East is huge to the extent that their population can deliver Lagos to them if they are politically strategic or be able to negotiate huge political space for themselves.
Previously, the Yoruba ruling elites have been managing the Igbo by pacifying them with political offices and ceding some economic ground to them, but now, the Igbos are ready to take it all and to achieve this, they will vote for who will represent them.
For political success, LP is rooting for a Nigerian mixed blood of Yoruba and Igbo, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the son of Barrister Olawale and Mrs Nkechi Rhodes-Vivour.
Before the presidential election, Sanwo-Olu and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor, are the major contenders making a wave, but Gbadebo’s candidature swelled astronomically when LP won Lagos Presidential Election.
Anyhow, tomorrow’s Lagos governorship election will be tough as the three major political parties will make it a do or die affair. They will freely use political thugs and attempt election manipulation, which has been identified with the Nigeria election. In all of these, Sanwo-Olu will either maintain the governorship seat for the next four years or lose it to either Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour or Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran.
Other candidates participating in the election for aesthetics are Dickson Olaogun (A), Abdulrasaq Balogun (AA), Akeem Olayiwola (AAC), Olufunso Doherty( ADC), Bamidele Ishola (ADP), Olawale Oluwo (BP), Olanrewaju Jim-Kamal (NNPP), Braithwaite Ishola (NRM), Taofeek Uthman (SDP), Wasiu Ajayi (YPP) and Adenipebi Mode-Adekunle (ZLP).
The governorship battle in Ogun State is a straight fight between the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun of All Progressive Congress (APC), and Hon Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Giving the incumbent governor something to worry about is the recent development in the state where nine political parties collapsed their political structures for Adebutu, thereby brightening his chance in the election.
The political parties that form an alliance with PDP are Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Peoples Party (APP), Allied People’s Movement (APM), Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT party), African Action Congress (AAC), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Interestingly, LP is divided between APC and PDP as the party is divided into two factions, with each pledging its alliance to APC and PDP.
Speaking for the faction that goes with the governor, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, said leaders of the party adopted the incumbent Governor Abiodun for Saturday’s gubernatorial election because the LP has no candidate for the election.
For PDP, the LP caretaker committee in a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party in the state, Tokunbo Peters said that Adebutu is the party’s choice.
The other candidates vying for the number one position in the state are Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ojeshina Anthony of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adelanwa Kayemilola of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Harrison Adeyemi of African Action Congress (AAC), Falana Olifemi of All Peoples Party (APP), Shokunbi Kazeem of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Ogunrombi Tofunmi of National Resistance Movement (NRM), Accord Party’s Adebisi Oyewale; Allied Peoples Movement’s (APM), Jolaoluwa Olutosin; New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP), Kassim Jakie; Action Alliance’s (AA), Iskil-Ogunyomi Safiat and Peoples Redemption Party’s (PRP) Cyrus Johnson who replaced deceased Okusanya Adedeji.
In Oyo State, the major contenders are Governor Seyi Makinde of PDP, Senator Teslim Folarin of APC and Bayo Adelabu of the Accord Party, AP.
With the power of incumbency on the part of Makinde, Folarin and Adelabu are contenders that have made it difficult to predict who will come victorious in the election.
In the other states of the region, where elections will be held only for the states’ assemblies, the governor is working assiduously to ensure that contestants from their parties win for the smooth running of the government.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State begged the electorate to vote for PDP candidates saying that it is easier for a governor to run the government with his party men controlling the legislative arm.
His words, “I call on Osun People to file out and exercise their civic rights. The election is very critical as you will be electing lawmakers who will be working with me. You must vote right.”
