• Incumbency factor will not in anyway help Akeredolu, says Ariwo ko ni music (Shouting is not music)

Engr. Ife Oyedele, a frontline governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state on Wednesday said any political party that fields Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as its flag bearer will lose the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

It will be recalled that Akeredolu had said given his pedigree, achievements, and general acceptability by the majority of the people of the state, the APC will lose the election if it replaces him with any other candidate.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Independent, Oyedele an associate of President Muhammadu Buhari who is the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical services of Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) also said incumbency factor will not in anyway help Akeredolu.

Oyedele added that in a recent poll conducted in the state by Akeredolu’s men, he (Oyedele) emerged winner with 40 percent votes while the governor got 33 percent votes.

“He has a right to say whatever he wants to say but is it based on any empirical formula? What has incumbency factor got to do with popularity?”

“In a recent poll conducted by his own people; that I was not aware of; that my supporters were not asked to contribute to, 40 percent of the respondents said Ife Oyedele was the best candidate and the most likely candidate to win the Ondo governorship election.”

Akeredolu came second with 33 percent, followed by Olusola Oke with 18 percent and others. So, what is he talking about? If an incumbent governor who has spent three years in that position is rated behind another aspirant, that must tell you something”.

“Nothing will happen with his incumbency factor. In actual fact, I can tell you categorically that if Akeredolu is fielded by any political party, including the APC, that political party will lose the governorship election. Akeredolu himself knows this”.

“There is a song that says ‘Ariwo ko ni music (Shouting is not music). If he has performed, he doesn’t need to make noise that the party will lose if he is not fielded. People like me will never rise up within my own political party to challenge an incumbent governor if he is performing” he said.

Credit: Daily Independent