Ondo Poll: LP Candidate Faults Peter Obi, NLC for Defeat

The Labour Party (LP) candidate in the Ondo governorship election has expressed disappointment over the party’s performance, citing a lack of support from its leadership. He blamed Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, for insufficient involvement and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for failing to mobilize grassroots support.

Speaking after the results, the candidate said, “Our loss stems from a combination of leadership gaps and poor grassroots engagement.” He called for introspection within the party to avoid similar outcomes in future elections.

Ayodele Olorunfemi, the Labour Party’s restored governorship candidate in Ondo State, expressed disappointment over his loss in Saturday’s election. He attributed his defeat to former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling All Progressives Congress was announced as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission after winning decisively in all 18 local government areas of Ondo.

In the announcement of the final results by State Returning Officer Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, it was revealed that Ayedatiwa from the APC received a total of 366,781 votes, defeating Agboola Ajayi from the PDP who secured 117,845 votes.

The Returning Officer announced that Ayedatiwa Lucky Orimisan from APC has met the legal requirements and is therefore declared elected.

Olorunfemi’s defeat occurs just days after INEC reinstated his name on the ballot as the LP candidate for the November 16 election, pursuant to a Court of Appeal decision.

After weeks of suspense, Olorunfemi finally breathed a sigh of relief when the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned an earlier ruling from the Federal High Court that had directed the electoral body to recognize Obi’s chosen candidate, Olusola Ebiseni.

In an interview with The PUNCH, Olorunfemi promised not to forgive the former LP presidential candidate and the NLC for their involvement in undermining his campaign for Ondo governorship.

When questioned about his success in organizing a last-minute door-to-door campaign with supporters following his appeal victory, the disheartened LP flag bearer admitted that his election campaign was uncertain and lacked direction.

He expressed his gratitude towards Peter Obi and the NLC, stating that they were responsible for thwarting his aspirations and chances of winning the Ondo election. He accused them of ruining things by trying to push a candidate rejected by the PDP onto their party’s ticket. Their insistence on having Ebiseni as a candidate completely derailed his plans.

“They merely exploited the conflict between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress to stir up trouble. Unbelievably, Ebiseni drafted a letter to the court under my name without informing me, claiming that I have withdrawn from the race. They cannot bar me from holding such a position.”

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Acknowledging that his chances in the election were slim after being reinstated just days before, Olorunfemi vowed to get his revenge.

The deputy chairman for the South of LP also warned that he would appeal to police authorities to investigate how Ebiseni and the NLC forged his name and signature.

I’m grateful that we received a favorable appeal judgment, and my name is once again on the INEC portal. It’s reassuring to see truth prevail in this situation. Withdrawal should always be voluntary; it’s clear you cannot coerce someone into withdrawing. What they attempted was done behind my back and felt like forced action against me.

Once more, it wasn’t the party that submitted it. This was crafted by Abduwaheed Omar, the former President of the NLC and head of the National Transition Committee. Their actions are criminal.

He stated, “I am actually planning to request that the Inspector General of Police investigate how they crafted that letter, forged my signature, and submitted it to the court. We’ll address this issue later. At present, we’re continuing our behind-the-scenes efforts and doing everything we can for this election.”

When asked to address the allegations made against the workers’ union, Acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, referred to Olorunfemi as a “very amusing character.”

He is someone you should never take seriously. Due to the crisis between us and Abure, Olorunfemi was appointed as Abure’s deputy and received the ticket. Before this election, he simply served as a placeholder. So what did he do next? He began looking for someone who would purchase the ticket from him.

During the process, they demanded that Ebiseni pay N20 million to obtain the ticket. He complied and even contributed an additional N5 million for their so-called expenses. However, when they refused to issue him the ticket, Ebiseni took legal action against them. In retaliation, Abure’s group began efforts to prevent INEC from uploading his name due to a questionable judgment they had obtained.

“The sole challenge we faced was that INEC had already provided the code for uploading agents’ names to Olorunfemi before the judgment. We are aware he likely uploaded the names of suspected APC agents there, indicating his indirect support for APC.”

At the time this story was filed, attempts to contact both Obi and Ebiseni for their responses were unsuccessful.