Ahead of the 2020 governorship election, some Peoples Democratic Party leaders in Ondo State say the party may lose the election again if Ondo South was not allowed to present the candidate.
The PDP leaders made this known in a letter jointly signed by Solomon Bitire and Chief Daisi Mafimisebi, former Local Government party chairmen, on behalf of other PDP leaders in Ondo South.
A copy of the letter made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Okitipupa was addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the PDP presidential candidate for the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The party stalwarts called for urgent steps to avert the ugly incidence of 2016 in the state as well as the recent experiences of Kogi and Bayelsa States elections won by the All Progressives Congress.
They said it was the turn of Ondo South to produce a candidate since the outgoing Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is from Ondo North, while his predecessor, former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, is from Ondo Central.
The letter listed the rotation pattern being followed since 1999: Chief Adebayo Adefarati (Ondo North), 1999 – 2003; Dr. Olusegun Agagu (Ondo South) 2003 – 2009; Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo Central) 2009 – 2017; and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo North) 2017 till 2020.
The letter said: “After careful assessment of the chances of our party to win the forthcoming election, we are disturbed that urgent steps should be taken by the leadership to avert the ugly occurrences in Kogi and Bayelsa, God forbid!
“It has been carefully observed that since 1999, the electorate in Ondo State have never supported or voted into power any political party that tried to sacrifice the turn of one Senatorial District for another.
“In 2016, when Mimiko tried to alter the rule by imposing his kinsman, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) from the same district as PDP flagbearer, this spelt doom for the party which gave way for the APC.
“The belief of everyone in Ondo State is that it is the turn of Ondo South since the outgoing governor, Akeredolu is from Ondo North, while his predecessor, Dr Mimiko hails from Ondo Central.
“The winning formula for the PDP in the coming gubernatorial election is for the party’s candidate to emerge from the Ondo South Senatorial District.
“We pray our party leadership will rise and pick the governorship candidate from the favoured zone (Ondo South) to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2016.
“We also pray the leadership of the party at the national level will not allow itself to be used as instrument to disrupt the political cultures and tradition of Ondo State electorate.”
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