Who is next minister for Ondo?

President Muhammadu Buhari will be sworn in for a second term on May 29. There is intense lobbying for ministerial position for Ondo State.

The President will likely retain some of his high performing ministers while the cabinet will be injected with fresh faces to help him to consolidate on the administration’s achievements.

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) is from the Ondo North Senatorial zone. The general view is that the ministerial nominee should come from either the Central Senatorial Zone or the South Senatorial Zone of the state.

This is anchored on the principles of fair and equitable distribution of major offices across the state.

Unlike 2015 when the President delayed in the appointment of his ministers, feelers indicate that he is likely to want to unveil his team, shortly after inauguration.

Besides, there are expectations that, the President will like to bring in highly cerebral and proven technocrats who have the capacity to add value to the administration’s efforts at fulfilling its second term mandate.

To this effect, prominent names have begun to feature as likely nominees from Ondo State, amid intense lobbying.

One of them is Prince Soji Ehinlanwo from Ilaje local government in Ondo South District. A close associate of President Buhari, the Ilaje-born technocrat and politician is perceived as a very trusted and reliable ally of the President, who has been a strong and rabid supporter of the President when he was the leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) days.

He is regarded as one of the earliest torchbearers of the clamour for a Buhari Presidency in the Southwest, helping to establish strong roots for advancing the Buhari candidature in the Southwest, the Communication Minister Shittu – even before and during the defunct CPC merger with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that crystalised into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He was the governorship candidate of the fefunct CPC in the 2012 governorship election and was believed to have made the singular sacrifice of quitting his prestigious job at the European Commission (EC) to contest on the platform of the defunct CPC.

Ehinlanwo is described by those who know him as an incredible bridge builder who has very good relationship with many of the leaders within the APC.

He has worked for well known global organisations such as the UK National Health service (NHS), Electronic Data Systems (EDS) – now part of Hewlett Packard (HP) – UK, Cap Gemini UK, Atos origin Belgium , Carillion Energy Services Limited – UK, The European Commission -Luxembourg, UK Department of Work and Pensions and Tesco PLC, providing expertise and leadership in diverse areas and  currently Business Analyst/Data Lead for Tesco PLC – the biggest UK Retail Outlet.

Read also: Behave as a statesman, Ondo APC urges Olanusi

Another prominent name on the lobbying list although his not a member of the ruling APC is former Governor Olusegun Mimiko from  Ondo West local government in Ondo Central Senatorial District.

While Mimiko is yet to formally declare for the APC, prior to the House of Assembly elections, he was believed to have been approached by some chieftains of the APC to use the machinery of his ZLP to help boost the chances of APC candidates in the said elections.

A source confirmed that the said arrangement was implemented during the recent House of Assembly elections where APC clinched 23 seats out of 26 seats after its not-too-impressive performance at the Presidential election.

The appearance of his name has elicited reactions and jitters amongst some of those who are angling for the nomination as they fear he has powerful backers.

It is believed that those who are lobbying for Mimiko are pushing the argument that he will be a good material for the Health Ministry.

An APC stalwart, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN also from Ilaje, Ondo South is also a big name on the ministerial list.

Oke is a big name in Ondo and national politics. He is politician of considerable experience. He worked very closely with the late Dr Olusegun Agagu.

He was the Ondo state representative for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) while Dr Olusegun Agagu was the state governor, he was National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He contested for governorship election twice; first in 2012 as PDP Candidate and in 2016 as Alliance for Democracy (AD) Candidate.

Prior to the 2019 general elections, he was appointed Southwest Zonal Co-ordinator of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, a move many regarded as an acknowledgement of his political sagacity and experience. He is believed to have a very good relationship with the National leader of the APC – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

If political experience is a strong yardstick for the choice of the nominee, it is believed the Ilaje born legal icon and astute politician could be the likely nominee.

Also from Ondo South is another eminent politician and legal practitioner, Morayo Lebi.

He was the senatorial candidate of the APC in the 2015 elections. A loyal and committed party man, many people rated him high for contributing immensely to building the party in Ondo South, especially at the time when the Labour Party (LP) and the PDP were the dominant political parties in the South District of Ondo State.

Many think he should have been given the party ticket in 2019. Although he did not get the ticket, he worked assiduously for APC and President Buhari’s re-election.

Many people believe he should be compensated with the ministerial slot.

Also, another likely nominee is Isaacs Kekemeke, an Ijaw-Arogbo born politician from Ese-Odo, in Ondo South District.

He was a close associate of the former Governor, Olusegun Agagu. A lawyer, he was at various times Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice and later, Commissioner for Works under the PDP’s Government headed by Agagu between 2003 and 2009.

At a time, he was the Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG).

Kekemeke was also former Chairman of the APC in Ondo state. He was edged out of office over allegations said to have been plotted and orchestrated by his political foes within the ruling party he built.

His supporters point to the fact that he was State Chairman when Ondo State delivered victory for the President in 2015.

However, a big challenge that has been identified as a potential threat to his quest for ministerial nomination is the fact that the current Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi hails from the same Ese-odo Local Government with him.

For now, as the jostle and speculations persist, it is clear that President Buhari is keeping the cards to his chest and ultimately, he is in position to determine who will be picked for this important National service, as anxiety mounts. Another likely contender is Ife Oyedele, an engineer and associate of President Buhari. He currently holds a federal board position.