ONDO APC MUST GET ITS PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW: 2027 MUST NOT BE SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF 2028 ONDO GOVERNORSHIP RACE
Ordinarily, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa should constitute a formidable political asset, a source of collective pride and a major selling point for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State ahead of the forthcoming 2027 general elections. His administration’s developmental initiatives, governance efforts and commitment to service delivery ought to provide a common platform upon which party members can consolidate their political strength, mobilise the electorate and prosecute the approaching national elections with unity of purpose.
Unfortunately, rather than appreciating the political value of incumbency and the strategic advantages that a united party under the leadership of a sitting Governor can bring to an electoral contest, certain politically ambitious elements are more preoccupied with the Ondo governorship election of 2028 than with the immediate electoral responsibilities confronting our great party.This development is as disturbing as it is politically counterproductive.
One is therefore compelled to ask a fundamental question: Are these persistent political attacks against Governor Aiyedatiwa genuinely motivated by love for the people of Ondo State, commitment to good governance or loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Or are they merely calculated attempts to weaken the Governor politically in anticipation of future governorship ambitions?To my mind, the answer is becoming increasingly obvious.
Much of the hostility being directed at Governor Aiyedatiwa are driven less by genuine concern for governance and more by the desperation of certain political actors who perceive the Governor as an obstacle to their future ambitions.
In their calculations, the immediate priority is not necessarily the success of the APC in the forthcoming presidential and National Assembly elections, but the weakening of the political standing of a Governor whose continued strength they consider a threat to their own aspirations.This is a dangerous political miscalculation, and it amounts to placing personal ambition above collective party interest.
The question that must agitate the minds of all discerning members of our party is simple: How does a political party deliberately undermine its own leader, encourage internal hostilities, promote factional antagonism and still expect to approach a crucial national election with the cohesion required to secure overwhelming victory?
How can a divided political house confidently seek to maximise its electoral fortunes when some of its principal actors are more interested in fighting one another simply because of the 2028 Ondo Governorship election than confronting the electoral challenges at hand?Certainly, no political party can afford to mistake its incumbency advantage for an automatic electoral victory.Political success requires organisation, discipline, reconciliation, mobilisation and, above all, unity of purpose.
The presidential election of 2027 must be regarded as the foundation, while future governorship ambitions constitute the superstructure. It is politically irrational to undermine the foundation upon which the superstructure is expected to stand.Those who are already positioning themselves for the next governorship contest must appreciate that their ambitions, however legitimate, should not be pursued at the expense of the immediate electoral interests of the APC.
There is nothing inherently wrong with political ambition. Indeed, ambition remains a legitimate feature of democratic competition. However, ambition becomes destructive when its pursuit demands the destabilisation of the very political platform upon which its beneficiaries hope to ascend to power.
To hold the view that the oppositions are politically dead in Ondo State is the highest delusion , misapprehension and grandiose illusion.
It is equally important to distinguish constructive criticism from calculated political vilification. No Governor is beyond criticism, and responsible scrutiny is an essential ingredient of democratic governance. Nevertheless, criticism deliberately weaponised to diminish a political leader for the advancement of personal ambition serves neither the public interest nor the collective fortunes of the party.The attempt to give Governor Aiyedatiwa a bad name merely to justify his political destruction is neither a demonstration of patriotism nor an expression of genuine party loyalty.It is political opportunism masquerading as public spirited criticism.
I therefore call on all members of the APC in Ondo State, particularly those nursing future governorship ambitions, to redefine their priorities and redirect their political energies towards the immediate task of securing electoral victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our National Assembly candidates in 2027.
The time for needless political distractions, manufactured controversies and avoidable internal antagonism should give way to reconciliation, strategic mobilisation and collective political responsibility.Those who genuinely love the APC must first demonstrate their commitment to its immediate electoral success before preoccupying themselves with the distribution of political opportunities that lie in the future.We must not allow the desperation for tomorrow’s political power to destroy today’s political opportunities.
As for Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, my admonition remains simple and unequivocal: He should remain focused, steadfast and undistracted. He should continue to concentrate on governance, deepen his administration’s developmental interventions and deliver tangible dividends of democracy to the good people of Ondo State.He must not allow the political missiles being launched from different directions to divert his attention from the enormous responsibilities of his office.
Ultimately, governance is not a contest in political noise making, neither is leadership measured by the intensity of political controversies. It is measured by the quality of service rendered, the lives positively transformed and the enduring legacies bequeathed to society.
Political ambitions will come and go. Political offices will change hands. Political intrigues will eventually fade into insignificance. But the footprints of purposeful leadership and genuine service to humanity will remain indelible in the annals of history.History will ultimately judge every political actor according to the role played at critical moments in the political development of Ondo State.
And posterity will certainly distinguish between those who devoted their opportunities to building the state and those who expended their political energies pulling others down in the desperate pursuit of power.
My final message is clear: Let the 2027 Presidential Election be our collective priority. Let future governorship ambitions remain secondary. We cannot afford to sacrifice the greater electoral interest of our party on the altar of premature personal ambitions.
A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND, AND A PARTY THAT FIGHTS ITSELF BEFORE AN ELECTION MAY HAVE ALREADY DONE THE WORK OF ITS OPPONENTS.
Hon. Banji Okunomo Esq.
Former Chairman, Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State & Ondo
APC Chieftain
