Peter Obi And NLC Ruined My Chances – Ondo LP Governorship Candidate

Olorunfemi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Ondo governorship election, has accused Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of undermining his chances of winning.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the election’s victor, with 366,781 votes across all 18 local government areas; Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came in second with 117,845 votes; and Olorunfemi garnered 1,162 votes, placing him fifth from the bottom in the 17-candidate race.

The campaign of Olorunfemi was tainted by controversy. In the first place, INEC replaced him as the LP candidate with Olusola Ebiseni after a federal high court decision.

Olorunfemi was reinstated as the official candidate by INEC just days before the election, but the appellate court later threw out the decision for lack of jurisdiction. LP’s 2023 general election presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had praised Ebiseni throughout the campaign, describing him as a candidate dedicated to justice, equity, and fairness.

Olorunfemi claims that his candidacy was hampered by the split that Obi’s support of Ebiseni caused inside the party. In an interview with PUNCH, Olorunfemi blamed Obi and the NLC for undermining his candidacy, calling his campaign incoherent and ineffectual.

“My campaign for the election was neither here nor there. I have Peter Obi and the NLC to thank for that. They scuttled my aspirations and chances to win this Ondo election,” Olorunfemi said.

He further claimed that throughout the legal battle over the candidacy, Ebiseni wrote a withdrawal letter to the court in his name without getting his permission.

“They just capitalised on the crisis between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress to create problems,” he said. “Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race?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 acknowledged that he had little chance of winning the court battle, but he declared his resolve to seek redress for what he perceives to be a betrayal by party officials.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli