How, Where Akeredolu, Jegede Running Mates Will Emerge; Akeredolu Picks Ayedatiwa |The Source

By Ayodele Oni, Akure

With the completion of governorship primaries of major political parties participating in October 20 governorship election in  Ondo state, candidates and their political parties are intensifying efforts to pick credible and reliable candidates as running mates.

Investigations reveal that the Senatorial district of the state that may reap from this searchlight is Ondo south, comprising six local governments of Ileoluji/Okeigbo, Okitipupa, Irele, Ese/Odo, Ilaje and Odigbo.

It was gathered that political parties, especially the leading ones which include People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) and All Progressives Congress, (APC) are focussing on the oil rich southern district as a result of large votes which usually come from the area during elections.

Since the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) did not register fresh voters for the governorship election, there are presently 530,146 registered voters in the southern district taking after the central with 669,648.

With the Central already having in its pocket one of the  parties flag bearers,  Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP,  and the  North, Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC, the South is waiting to give them their running mates.

There are indications that the two candidates of the PDP and APC have zerod in on their would- be-deputies, while consultations are still ongoing with leadership of the parties.

The incumbent Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Ajayi Agboola, who ditched the APC that produced him and pitched his camp with the PDP, is from southern senatorial district.

He lost the governorship primary to Eyitayo Jegede from the Central and as at last count, his name is not among those that are being considered for the deputy slot.

News filtered into the state capital on Tuesday that Governor Akeredolu has submitted the name of his preferred running mate to members of the inner caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) today in Abuja.

Reliable sources disclosed that Governor Akeredolu has settled for the choice of a former Ondo State representative on the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa, who hails from Ilaje Local Government Area.

But, the governor’s media team and the APC quickly debunked the report.