Cash-strapped parties dump campaigns, cling to APC, PDP

As the Ondo governorship draws closer, PETER DADA writes on the political tactics adopted by the smaller parties to join either the ruling APC or the opposition PDP

It is no more news that the governorship election in Ondo State is coming up November 16 and political activities are permeating the atmosphere across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state following the ongoing campaigns by the political parties.

As it does happen during campaign periods, the politicians have also been engaging in house-to-house, street-to-street and person-to-person campaigns selling their products (candidates) to the people of the state. The candidates too, particularly those of the major political parties, have been visiting the people from one local government to the other.

It is expected that the 18 political parties that were cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the election should be in the ongoing campaign business and activities. However, that’s not the case; those seriously involved in the campaign are not up to seven.

The parties cleared for the election by INEC include the ruling All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, African Democratic Party and All Progressives Grand Alliance.

Others are Allied Peoples Movement, Action Peoples Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Youth Party, Young Progressives Party and the Zenith Labour Party.

As a matter of fact, the ones who appear serious and ready for the election among the parties in terms of preparation for the poll are APC, PDP, NNPP, LP, ZLP, SDP and ADC. However, only the APC and PDP have been moving around the state, rigorously campaigning due to their financial edge over the others. Apart from not campaigning, some of the lesser parties don’t have structures anywhere in the state. Many of them don’t even have a party secretariat in the state, let alone printing of posters, billboards or do other media engagements as the campaigns reached the pinnacle.

It was gathered that the lack of seriousness of these parties informed their exclusion from Sunday’s election debate organised by Channels Television, which only picked two leading candidates of the APC and the PDP, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Agboola Ajayi, respectively.

Following their poor preparations for the forthcoming poll, some of the leadership of the lesser parties, it was reliably learnt, were in discussions to form alliances with either APC or the PDP.

A source in one of the parties seeking alliances with the big boys explained that the arraignments were in top gear and almost finalized ahead of the forthcoming poll.

The source said, “I can tell you authoritatively that very few parties would remain in the contest, in the coming election in November 16. Many of the smaller parties have been meeting with the big parties to collapse their structures before Election Day because they know they are not going anywhere. They don’t even have the financial strength to stand the election. What is delaying many of them from taking action is the negotiation with the big parties. As soon as the negotiations are completed, they will announce which party they want to join, particularly the APC or the PDP.

“Some of the candidates know already from the outset that they are not going anywhere in the election but chose to go for the race probably to make money because the negotiation I’m talking about is money. Some of their candidates are not even known in their wards let alone their local governments, yet they want to contest for the state election. The governorship election is for the serious-minded who have the financial capacity and the popularity in the state.”

On the other hand, another source within the PDP confirmed such an arrangement between the leadership of the Zenith Labour Party and the PDP but added that the arrangement was yet to be finalised as of the time of filing this report.

“The talks are ongoing between us and them (ZLP). The talks should have been finalised last week and the announcement made but certain issues came up, which stalled the process. However, the meetings are still ongoing and I’m certain it will be concluded before the election,” the source disclosed.

Recently, the deputy governorship candidate of the SDP, Mrs Susan Alabi, defected to the APC when the window of opportunity for the party to replace her had closed, leaving her former principal and SDP governorship candidate, Mr Bamidele Akingboye, alone in the struggle at the peak of the campaign. This development affirmed the possibility of the last-minute alliance of the political parties.

Political analysts and keen followers of events ahead of the election opine that it will not be a surprise if Akingboye, who has remained mum over the action of his erstwhile running mate, also aligns with another party on the eve of the poll.

Many believe that last-minute merging of political parties is not a new trend in Nigerian politics as same scenario played out in September’s governorship election in Edo State when some parties collapsed their structures to support the APC few days to the poll. With what is being gathered in the camp of many political parties in Ondo State, a similar scenario would surface before the November 16 election, with the ruling APC and the PDP most likely to be the major beneficiaries.

However, some of the parties are expressing divergent views about the development. Some minor parties claimed to be capable of winning the election and didn’t need any big party to be victorious in the forthcoming poll, while some of the big parties said there was nothing strange and wrong if smaller parties were joining them since politics was a game of numbers.

The candidate of the ADC, Myson Nejo, said he was unaware of such alliances, believing that in a free and fair contest, no candidate could defeat him come November 16.  He added that his party did not have any plan of alliance with any party.

“If others are planning to merge, we don’t have such a plan. We are campaigning round the 18 Local Government Areas of the state. We have visited many towns and villages to campaign to our people. But one thing I’ve noticed is that money is a huge part of the issues we face, everything revolves around money. But we are moving.

“I don’t care about them. I’m not afraid of APC or PDP. If the election is conducted fairly, the people’s choice will prevail. I will win the election but I want to appeal to the electoral commission to remain neutral and allow free, fair and credible election.”

In his reaction, the state Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, Cornelius Akintoye, denied the purported arrangement with the PDP as he declared that the opposition party was still in the race and had no plan to merge with any political party ahead of the governorship election. However, he did not fail to mention that the party leadership was not oblivious of the planned movement of some purported dissident members of the ZLP to the PDP. He disowned them, saying they were not members of the ZLP.

“I am the state Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party in Ondo State, I would like to tell you authoritatively that there is no plan to merge with the PDP. We are fully preparing to participate in the upcoming election. We are fully engaging and moving forward with our campaign. I am the chairman, there is no time I met with the leadership of any other party for any alliance.

“However, it has come to our notice that certain individuals are falsely claiming affiliation with our party and may be accepting funds from PDP or APC. Please note, these individuals are not members of our organisation and do not represent us,” Akintoye declared

In a reaction, the state PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, confirmed that the smaller parties were interested in joining them but said the party would make the arrangement public. He, however, did not mention the identities of the concerned political parties.

“Yes, many smaller parties have declared their interest in merging with us but we intend to make the details public soon,” Peretei stated.

On the other hand, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC, Steve Otaloro, said the ruling party did not need any alliance before winning the off cycle election, explaining that the popularity of the party and its candidate, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was enough to earn them the desired victory.

He, however, noted that the door of the party was widely open for any interested party to merge.

“The APC remains confident in our stronghold in Ondo State, thanks to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s impressive achievements in just 10 months in office. His leadership has attracted numerous individuals and groups to join our party, solidifying our position as the party to beat.  We welcome like-minded individuals and groups to join us voluntarily, but we aren’t seeking alliances to win the election. Our fortified structure and organisational ability makes us the party to beat. In fact, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s campaign to seek the electorate’s support was met with overwhelming support from the good people of Ondo State in his campaign train across the state, turning a meeting into a rally. This enthusiasm is a testament to his impact in just 10 months in office and showcasing his commitment to transforming Ondo State.

“If smaller parties wish to align with us, it’s because they recognise our strategic importance in shaping the state’s future. We’re not seeking partnerships to win; rather, we’re offering an opportunity for others to be part of history. Our focus remains on delivering dividends of democracy to the people, and we’re committed to securing victory in the November 16 governorship election.”

As it is currently in the Sunshine State, the November 16 poll is very much around the corner and all stakeholders are set to witness another day of history which will determine the future of the state and its people.