“Despite Last Minute Disqualification, I Refused Entreaties To Vote Aiyedatiwa” – LP Dep Gov Candidate

By Ayodele Oni

Deputy Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, (LP) in last Saturday’s election in Ondo state, Dayo Awude, has lamented that intrigues and crisis caused the party poor outing in the election.

Awude was the running mate of Olusola Ebiseni, who lost the primary election of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) and later picked the ticket of LP.

While giving analysis on the outcome of the election, Awude stated that “My principal and I tried our best, using the Labour Party platform, but as it turned out, the intra party crisis that erupted in the party consumed that effort, leading to my name and that of our governorship candidate, Chief Sola Ebiseni, being substituted by INEC, a few hours to the election, due to an unexpected court order.

“It was an order that defied all known basic rudiments of law. That was a heart-wrenching experience. The details of the politics of that orchestrated crisis and the intrigues of the judicial processes is a story that will be told later.

“With the removal of our names as candidates came the expected volte face by our supporters. Their pain and agony were palpable.

It was on this note and as a matter of principle that I declined the last minute invitation, by a respected brother and right hand man of Governor Ayedatiwa, for me to work with them at the elections the next day.

“I believe he was acting on the instructions of the governor. It also means the governor, despite the power of Incubency, worked very hard to win the election, reaching out to people to join him even to the very last minute.

“I can say with all sense of responsibility that we put in our best into the exercise in terms of reaching out to the grass roots, but then, the unexpected jolted the process.

“Despite the removal of our names, some of our supporters still voted for the Labour Party. To this set of people, I say thank you. To our original teaming supporters who were part of the process till the point of our names being removed, I also say thank you.

“Without prejudice to any course of action that may be taken by any interested party on the outcome of the process, I urge Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, the man who has been declared winner by INEC, to use this opportunity as a tool of service to God and the people of Ondo State in good conscience.

“I do hope and pray that vote trading will become a thing of the past in our electoral system. There is no gainssaying the fact that the show of naira force that was at play in this election decided where the pendulum of victory swung.

“I would have been happier if this victory was won without the vote bazaar that characterised it. So long as vote buying remains the decider of election results in our clime, accountable and good governance may continue to elude us. Leaders should hold their victory to the benevolence and judgement of the people and not to how deep their pockets are.”

He urged other candidates in the election to avoid the usual circus of not accepting the result of election and heading to the Election Tribunal.

“Much as that is a fundamental right of any and every citizen, this election was won by Ayedatiwa, the man who had more financial capacity to show. Any court case now may be an unnecessary distraction.”

To the winner of the poll,  Awude stated that “Let me say once again that the only way Ayedatiwa can justify what he has now is to use it to work for the people of Ondo State and not to delve into the arena of fighting perceived enemies and acquiring ungodly wealth.

“He should look beyond the borders of party politics and enlist the best hands to work with him. The time to work for our people is here. In spite of the Nigerian heat, Ondo State can be a Goshen.”