Otunba Bamidele Akingboye, the Governorship Candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), is certainly a determined politician with eyes focused on the Government House of Ondo State. He is an ordinary man, a successful businessman and a simple and upright politician without encumbrances. He is a friendly and amiable man whose simplicity hides the uncanny strength of purpose and determination to achieve and his strong inclination to reposition Ondo State as a model of development, youth empowerment, and women emancipation.
Close monitoring of the campaign activities of this candidate reveals uncommon strategies that target specific electorates at different levels. When these are not focused on teachers, or civil servants or pensioners, or artisans, they are targeted at Lojas or Baales, that is, High Chiefs or junior Kings. We followed through this fascinating stratagem of Akingboye and have decided to write on the OBA’s campaign activities in relation to yet another powerful and impactful group of electorates, the non-indigenes. Otunba Akingboye has striven hard to build an organic relationship with both the indigenes and non-indigenes in Ondo State over the last six months.
Ondo State, like other states in the South West, is dominantly Yoruba but broadly cosmopolitan in nature with active participation by non-indigenes. In this writeup, we highlight the particular case of non-indigenes and especially how the Ebiras trooped out with drums to welcome Akingboye over this weekend. Ambassador Dr. Bamidele Akingboye, a man popularly known and called OBA, has finally established an organic relationship with the non-indigenes in Ondo State, Ebiras, Igbos, Hausa-Fulanis and indigenes from other States living in Ondo State who altogether have a total of 1,011 Polling Units (25%) dedicated mainly to them out of the 3,933 Poling Units in Ondo State.
The Ebira communities of Ondo State are settlers from Kogi State for over a century. They are mostly farmers, traders and farm hands. They have been bearing children and training them in Islamic and Western education. The Ebiras in the last 30 years have come out to involve themselves in the political and economic activities of Ondo State. They have participated in voter registration exercise and contested elective offices and won in many places. Currently, the Ebira communities have a total of 411 dedicated Poling Units out of the 3,933 poling units in Ondo State.
Other non-indigenes in Ondo State are Igbos, Hausa/Fulani, and people from other states such as from Benue State comprising of Idoma, Egede, and Tiv; from Kogi State, the Igala community; Delta State, Urhobos, Ukwale, Uwani; and Cross River, Calabar, Ogoja and Obudu. Other States with significant populations in Ondo State are Akwa-Ibom, Edo, Osun, and Oyo States. In all, these non-indigenes have some 600 Polling Units dedicated to their communities.
It was the former Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko who first harvested the potentials of these groups for a pollical advantage in 2006, wherein he brought every resident of Ondo State that has electoral value irrespective of their tribes to limelight.
Today, the non-indigene communities under the leadership of Alh. Abdulkadir Adinoyi, an Ebira technocrat and politician, have solidly endorsed Otunba Bamidele Akingboye (OBA) of SDP for the Governorship and this can impact votes and voting influences throughout the States. This weekend of the 9th November 2024, from Emure, Amurin, to Owo, Oba-Akoko to Isua, etc, the Ebiras brought out their indigenous drums and music to welcome their incoming Governor, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye.
Hon. Yemi Bobade,
Chairman, Akoko North West LG. Ondo State.
