Battle For South West: Makinde, Abiodun, Sanwolu Know Fate Today

Three governors in the southwest are testing their popularity today with the voters in their respective states, in what political watchers say is a titanic battle among major political parties.

Governors Dapo Abiodun, Seyi Makinde and Babajide Sanwo Olu of  Ogun, Oyo, and Lagos states are up against formidable candidates who are bent on truncating their quest to get reelected.

The three states are the only places where the governorship and state house of Assembly elections are being held. In Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti, the other three states in the region only house of assembly election will be held because those states have already elected their governors.

For these three governors, the election seems to be a do-or-die affair considering that they have been doing everything to ensure that their dream to return to power is not truncated by the opponents who are also doing all that it takes to get to power.

For instance, in Lagos, the known Centre of Excellence, Governor Sanwoolu is up against two candidates, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour and Olajide Adediran of the Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

They are formidable candidates considering their pedigree in the state’s political space. Of the two opponents now trying to take Sanwoolu’s job the LP candidate is seen to be in the best position to dislodge the incumbent considering the support he has been receiving among voters in the state recently.

In Oyo state, Governor Makinde was until three weeks ago sure of getting returned by his people. But the dynamic changed after his party was roundly defeated by the APC, which cleared the three senatorial seats and the House of Representatives.

The situation is not so bright for the governors who rode on the people’s anger against former Governor Isiaka Ajimobi administration, to power in 2019.

But not few also insist that the governor has performed well in terms of delivering the dividends to his people, his decision to work against the PDP in the presidential election by joining the G5 Governors, is the key factor currently hunting his bid to return.

Makinde is majorly up against Senator Teslim Folarin, the APC candidate whom people say is trying to ride on the victory his party got on February 25 to the government house.

Ahead of the election, Abiodun of Ogun state has boasted to some of his aides that he will win, promising them that ‘they will go and drink’ to celebrate after he has been declared the winner.

His confidence is not misplaced. His party, the APC won the three senatorial elections apart from winning many seats in the House of Reps.

The governor is running against two frontline candidates, Ladi Adebutu and Biyi Otegbeye, of the PDP and African Democratic Congress, ADC, respectively.

The latter is being backed by a former governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, who has vowed to ensure his victory.

Instructively, Governor Abiodun, according to those monitoring the politics of the state, informed the magazine that the incumbent stands a better chance to win the election, except the unexpected happened at the last minute.