- Labour Party (LP) candidate Ayodele Olorunfemi has accused Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of sabotaging his campaign in the Ondo governorship race
- Olorunfemi vowed to seek legal redress, claiming his signature was forged in a withdrawal letter and accusing NLC members of criminal interference in his candidacy
- Olorunfemi’s loss to APC’s Aiyedatiwa suggests deep divisions within the LP, with Olorunfemi blaming internal factions and rival endorsements for his defeat
Ayodele Olorunfemi, the reinstated Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Ondo State, has blamed former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for his loss in Saturday, November 18, election.
Olorunfemi, who was cleared by the Court of Appeal to run as the LP candidate after a prolonged legal battle, accused Obi and the NLC of undermining his campaign and sabotaging his chances in the race.
Olorunfemi’s defeat came as Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the Ondo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Aiyedatiwa secured a landslide victory, winning all 18 local government areas and amassing 366,781 votes, far outpacing Agboola Ajayi of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 117,845 votes.
While the election result seemed decisive, Olorunfemi’s loss was framed by him as the outcome of a series of setbacks, particularly due to the actions of Obi and the NLC, which he believes derailed his candidacy.
He expressed his dissatisfaction in an interview with The PUNCH, lamenting that Obi's endorsement of Olusola Ebiseni, another candidate for the governorship race, alongside interference from the NLC, had sabotaged his campaign.
Olorunfemi accused Obi of "scuttling" his chances by supporting a rival candidate, stating that their actions led to confusion and division within the LP in the lead-up to the election.
"I have Peter Obi and the NLC to thank for that," Olorunfemi said, clearly frustrated.
"They have scuttled my aspirations and chances to win this Ondo election. These people spoiled 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."
One of the main grievances Olorunfemi raised was a letter, allegedly written by Ebiseni on his behalf, claiming that he had withdrawn from the race without his consent.
“Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race? They cannot exclude me from such a position,” Olorunfemi fumed, accusing the NLC and Ebiseni of forging his signature in an attempt to sideline him.
Despite his loss, Olorunfemi vowed to seek justice for what he called an unlawful attempt to force him out of the race.
"Withdrawal must be voluntary. You cannot force someone to withdraw. What they have done was an attempt to force me behind my back," he said. Olorunfemi also revealed plans to petition the Inspector General of Police to investigate the alleged forgery of his signature in court documents.
The LP candidate pointed the finger at the former NLC president, Abduwaheed Omar, and the NLC's involvement in the incident, calling their actions "criminal."
He also suggested that Omar and others in the NLC camp were working to support the APC.
"It wasn’t the party that submitted it. It was the handiwork of the former President of the NLC and head of the National Transition Committee, Abduwaheed Omar. What they did is criminal," Olorunfemi charged.
In response, the NLC dismissed Olorunfemi’s claims, with Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, the acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, describing the LP candidate as a "very funny character" whose accusations were unfounded.
Ndubuaku accused Olorunfemi of being a "placeholder" for the party before the election and suggested he was more interested in selling his ticket to the highest bidder.
"He was a placeholder before the election. So what did he do? He started shopping for who would buy the ticket from him. In the process, they asked Ebiseni to pay N20 million to get the ticket," Ndubuaku alleged.
He further claimed that the LP leadership, particularly Olorunfemi’s faction, had tried to sabotage Ebiseni's candidacy by preventing his name from being uploaded to the INEC portal, even after the court ruling reinstating Olorunfemi’s candidacy.
Despite the ongoing legal and political disputes, Olorunfemi remains resolute in his resolve to pursue legal action.
"The truth has prevailed. For now, we are still doing our underground work and doing our best for this election," he said, hinting at further steps to address what he perceives as an orchestrated effort to exclude him from the race.
#OndoDecides2024: PDP’s Agboola Ajayi wins polling unit, defeats APC's Ayedatiwa
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Agboola Ajayi, had emerged victorious in his polling unit in the ongoing Ondo State gubernatorial election.
Ajayi, who cast his vote at Apoi Ward II, Unit 004 in Kiribo, Ese Odo Local Government Area, polled 194 votes to defeat his main rival, Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who managed to secure only 3 votes.
