Ondo Guber Primary: Tinubu’s Choice Emerges, Frustrates Jimoh Ibrahim’s 21 Years Aspiration

<h4>Ondo Guber Primary<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that in the early hours of Saturday&comma; April 20&comma; signals emerged on who President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is supporting for the All Progressives Congress&comma; APC ticket for the Ondo 2024 governorship election&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The APC primary election contest holds today in Akure&comma; Ondo State capital&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Overtime&comma; Tinubu has maintained silence in the affairs of the state with regards to the primaries&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Information has it that Tinubu decided to tread softly so as not to be seen as taking side with any of the aspirants&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He has refused to grant audience to any of the aspirants despite pressures from them and several visits to Abuja for the President’s endorsement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Aides to the President said he is looking for a candidate who will be loyal to the party and prepared to deliver the state to the APC in the 2027 general elections&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Credible source said that the silence of Tinubu till early hours of Saturday shows that he has tactically succumbed to pressure from Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s fellow governor’s under the NGF&comma; to allow him continue for another four years&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This development has knocked off the 21 years governorship aspiration of Jimoh Ibrahim&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The businessman &comma; now Senator representing Ondo South in the Senate&comma; began the realization of his governorship ambition in 2003 under the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party&comma; ANPP&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>So determined to get presidential endorsement was Jimoh of recent that he started adorning the cape with Tinubu’s political logo in all his public outings including overseas trips&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In today’s primary contest&comma; 16 aspirants have been screened and cleared for the exercise&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Among the 16 contestants&comma; 14 are from Ondo South senatorial district&period; The battle for Ondo South delegates’ votes is expected to be fierce and the two other senatorial districts- Central and North are expected to be tie breakers&period; The APC adopted direct primaries to be held across the 18 LGAs of the state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The cleared aspirants include Governor Aiyedatiwa&semi; immediate past Finance Commissioner&comma; Wale Akinterinwa&semi; former member of the House of Representatives and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives&comma; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">Hon Mayowa Akinfolarin&semi; former President of the Nigeria Medical Association&comma; NMA<&sol;a>&comma; and former Special Adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Health&comma; Prof Francis Faduyile&semi; APC National Vice Chairman South-West&comma; Hon Isaacs Kekemeke&semi; and two term governorship aspirant&comma; Chief Olusola Oke&comma; SAN&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Others are former Chairman of the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission&comma; OSOPADEC&comma; Hon&period; Gbenga Edema&semi; the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District&comma; Dr Jimoh Ibrahim&semi; a retired Army Officer&comma; Brig&period; Gen&period; Olamide Ohunyeye&semi; a member of the House of Representatives representing Okitipupa&sol;Irele Federal Constituency&comma; Hon&period; Jimi Odimayo&semi; former commissioner of the Nigeria Population Commission&comma; NPC&comma; Diran Iyantan&semi; Executive Secretary of the Niger Delta Power Holdings&comma; Ife Oyedele&semi; Mr Soji Ehinlawo&semi; Mrs Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo&semi; Morayo Lebi&comma; and Mrs Funke Omogoroye&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;