Ondo State voters are scheduled to cast their votes for members of the State House of Assembly on March 18 with the last round of the 2023 elections scheduled to end in two days.
One of the eight states in the nation where just the House of Assembly election will be held is Ondo.
The electorates in the state will swarm the 3,933 polling places and 203 political wards spread across the state’s 18 local government areas to cast their votes for the 26 people who will make up the 10th Assembly of the state legislature.
In both the presidential and National Assembly elections, the All Progressives Congress, or APC, easily prevailed. The state assembly won’t change that.
Remember that in the sacred chamber of the state legislature in 2019, the governing APC gained 23 seats, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was only able to get two seats, and the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, obtained the last seat.
The Labour Party, LP, surprised several pollsters during the presidential and National Assembly elections in certain states around the nation, but the party will not get any seats in the state legislature since its followers, known as “Obidients,” have not been seen in the state.
Following the voting that took place two weeks ago, Tinubu of the APC won 361,944 votes, defeating Atiku of the PDP who received 115,467 votes, and Peter Obi of the LP who came in third with 47,350 votes. Tinubu also won all 18 council areas in the state.
In addition to winning all three senatorial seats, the APC also won eight of the state’s nine House of Representative seats.
Festus Akingbaso, a state assemblyman for Idanre and the sole PDP contender, prevailed.
Political analysts projected that due to the electorate’s preoccupation on the incumbent party and the APC’s outspoken statements made around the state, voting attendance may be low.
Only six of the 26 legislators who will make up the 10th Assembly are seeking reelection; the other 20 are rookies.
They are Babatunde Fadare (Ileoluji/Okeigbo), Ojo Victor (Akoko South East), Tomide Akinribido (Ondo West constituency 1), Femi Olafusi (Ondo East constituency), and Akintola Olarewaju (Akoko North East constituency).
The sole female member of the 9th Legislature, Favour Tomomowo, is standing for Ilaje Constituency II under the ADC label.
There are just four women among the remaining 22 candidates for the ruling APC.
The candidates for the party are Mr. Akintola Olarenwaju (Okitipupa Constituency II), Ololade Gbegudu (Okitipupa Constituency II), Emmanuel Gbogi (Akoko South West 1), Oluwole Emmanuel Ogunmolasuyi (Owo Constituency 1), Simeon Toluwani Borokini (Akure South I), and Abitogun Rotimi (Akure South 2) (Akure North).
Other candidates are Akomolafe Temitope (Ifedore constituency), Ayebusiwa Odunayo (Okitipupa I), Oladapo John Biola (Ondo West II), Fayemi Olawunmi Annah (Ilaje II), Mohammed Taofik Oladele (Akoko North West II), Allen Messiah Oluwatoyin (Ese Odo), and Alaye Adesin (Odigbo II).
Given how the APC fared in the previous elections, there would be a direct battle between it and the PDP.
Indications suggest that the APC would win, if not all, 24 of the state’s 26 assembly seats on Saturday, even if the gap between the APC and PDP may be narrow. This is because the candidates and the current governor, Akeredolu, are working tirelessly to win over voters throughout the state.
