Reinstated Labour Party governorship candidate in Ondo State, Ayodele Olorunfemi, has blamed his defeat in the November 16 election on former LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling All Progressives Congress was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission after securing victory in all 18 Local Government Areas.
Announcing the results, the State Returning Officer, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, stated, “That Ayedatiwa Lucky Orimisan of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby returned elected.”
Aiyedatiwa garnered 366,781 votes, defeating Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 117,845 votes.
Olorunfemi’s candidacy was restored just days before the election after the Court of Appeal vacated a Federal High Court judgment that had ordered INEC to recognise Olusola Ebiseni, Obi’s preferred candidate, as the LP flag bearer.
Despite this victory, Olorunfemi admitted that his campaign was severely hindered by the prolonged legal battle and internal party crisis.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Olorunfemi did not hold back his frustrations, accusing Obi and the NLC of undermining his candidacy.
“I have Peter Obi and the NLC to thank for that. They have scuttled my aspirations and chances to win this Ondo election. These people spoilt things for us with that PDP reject they wanted to force on the party. Their insistence on having Ebiseni on the ballot ruined everything for me,” he lamented.
Olorunfemi also alleged that Ebiseni forged his withdrawal letter to the court, claiming it was a deliberate ploy to exclude him from the race.
“They cannot exclude me from such a position. Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race? What they have done was an attempt to force me behind my back,” he added.
Vowing to seek justice, Olorunfemi revealed plans to petition the Inspector General of Police to investigate the alleged forgery of his signature and withdrawal letter.
“What they did is criminal. I am planning to petition the Inspector General of Police to probe how they wrote that letter, put my signature, and presented it before the court. We will deal with that later,” he said.
Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, dismissed Olorunfemi’s allegations, describing him as a “very funny character.”
“He is one human being you should never take seriously,” Ndubuaku said. “Before this election, he was a placeholder. So what did he do? He now started shopping for who would buy the ticket from him.
“They asked Ebiseni to pay N20 million to get the ticket. He paid and even added another N5 million, which they claimed was for expenses. When they refused to give him the ticket, Ebiseni went to court. In retaliation, Abure’s camp started working to ensure INEC didn’t upload his name because of the kangaroo judgment they went to secure.”
Ndubuaku further alleged that Olorunfemi was working indirectly for the APC.
“The only challenge we have was that before the judgment, INEC had already given the code for uploading the names of agents to Olorunfemi. We know he would have uploaded the names of suspected APC agents there. He is obviously working indirectly for the APC,” he claimed.
Despite the reinstatement of his candidacy, Olorunfemi’s defeat highlights the challenges of last-minute legal victories and internal party disputes. As Ondo residents look to the next administration, the Labour Party’s internal wrangling may serve as a cautionary tale for future elections.
