Opposition parties in Ondo are in turmoil of defections, internal feuds, and claims of collusion, all weakening the ranks of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC). Is the loss of ground by the opposition of any advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)? ADEWALE MOMOH reports.
The idea of a strong and viable opposition is a crucial check on governmental power in Nigeria’s democracy, serving as a watchdog to guarantee accountability and openness. But in Ondo State, it seems this essential component of democracy has fallen apart, leaving a single, unopposed voice dominating the political scene.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state currently functions in a comfort zone that is rarely observed, not because of flawless performance, but rather because the opposition parties’ supposed checks have vanished into an unsettling silence.
According to political observers, the dynamic tension between the opposition and the government is essential to an active democracy. They stress that to hold the ruling party accountable, the opposition is supposed to criticise policies, expose wrongdoing, put forward alternative agendas, and energise public opinion.
This theoretical model has collided with harsh reality in Ondo State, where opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and others, have become politically submissive, their voices hardly audible.
The recent protest by some job seekers in the state was a poignant example of this failure. After receiving and celebrating letters of appointment into the state’s teaching service, these young Nigerians were devastated to learn that the letters were a cruel hoax that had shattered their hopes. Any opposition worth its salt had a perfect chance to support the people’s cause because this was a powerful issue with strong socioeconomic and emotional resonance.
However, the main opposition parties’ response was remarkably subdued. No public outrage was mobilised, no solidarity statements were issued, and the government was not consistently pressured for a transparent investigation. Their deafening silence gave the impression that they were either indifferent or incapacitated, leaving the people to face the system alone.
The lacklustre response to the claim of a N240 billion secret bond deal purportedly executed by the state government was even more telling. A situation with such serious financial ramifications and the potential to mortgage the state’s future warranted the highest level of scrutiny and outcry. However, the opposition only occasionally engaged, lacking the intensity, consistency, and depth necessary to pressure the government into providing full accountability.
The external docility, according to observers, is a direct symptom of a deeper internal illness, as the opposition parties are currently plagued by severe internal crises, characterised by bitter leadership struggles and a crippling lack of unity.
When a party is fighting for its own survival, it lacks the focus, energy, and resources to properly examine the government. As political analysts noted, they are too preoccupied putting out internal fires to light any under the ruling party.
The defection of Festus Akingbaso, who represents the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, to the APC clearly demonstrated the weakening structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Akingbaso was more than just a lawmaker; he was the running mate of the PDP governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, during the November 16, 2024 election. A devastating strategic and psychological blow, his defection to the ruling party reinforced the narrative of the APC’s invincibility and demonstrated a lack of faith in the opposition’s project.
If Akingbaso’s defection was a rabbit punch, the speculation about the possible defection of his erstwhile principal, Agboola Ajayi, the PDP’s standard-bearer in the gubernatorial race, threatens to be a stinger, as his move would represent the near-total decapitation of the PDP’s leadership in the state.
Ajayi had, on September 16, 2025, formally withdrawn his appeal pending before the Supreme Court challenging the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC. Ajayi, a former deputy governor of the state, said his decision followed wide consultations with his family, political associates, and legal advisers.
In a letter to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Ajayi explained that while he was aware of the pending appeal, pursuing it further would not serve the broader interest of peace and good governance, stressing that the unity and development of the state remained his priority, regardless of political differences.
“After careful deliberation, we have reached a consensus that the appeal should be withdrawn. My foremost commitment is to good governance and peaceful coexistence in Ondo State and across Nigeria. In this spirit, I extend my heartfelt wishes to His Excellency Lucky Aiyedatiwa as he leads our state,” Ajayi stated.
Equally, the Director of Publicity of the PDP, Leye Igbabo, revealed to The Guardian that he had been instructed by the executive of the party not to criticise the government, stressing that he could not fathom why such a directive was given.
“The State Chairman, through the secretary, had to write a letter to me asking me to stop criticising the government and stop issuing press releases. I don’t know what informed their decision.
“These are the challenges that we are facing. If some people are working tirelessly to ensure that the party is strengthened, and then some people we regard as our leaders are doing otherwise,” Igbabo stated.
The Director of Publicity had also petitioned the Elders Committee, through its chairman, Dr Tayo Dairo, over what he described as a dangerous precedent being set with the romance of the APC by some members of the PDP.
Pointedly, Igbabo alleged that a national officer of the party, Clement Faboyede, allegedly took orders from the APC, adding that the national officer’s last senatorial ambition was largely financed by a minister from the state with the sum of N30 million.
“The leader is actually setting a dangerous precedent which, if not addressed, will be followed by others. The implication of his action will be the erosion of party loyalty because any other person can also romance leaders from other political parties and cite the action of the national officer as his or her strength.
“A petition is already before the Elders Committee, and we candidly appeal to them to advise the relevant party organ to cause the invocation of the provisions of the party constitution, particularly Sec 59(1), if the national officer is found culpable.
“This, we believe, will serve to deter any other person in future, no matter how highly placed,” Igbabo stated.
While countering the position of Igbabo, the Secretary of the PDP in the state, Oluseye Olujimi, stated that the party was only being strategic about its activities.
He said, “That is not true. The function of the opposition party is to put the current government on their toes. As the opposition party, we don’t bark at every situation. We are so strategic and focused. What we intend to do is what is necessary as to when it is necessary for a particular situation. You just don’t criticise things just for the sake of criticism.
“Before the inauguration of the commissioners, we were on top of our voice until the needful was done. When you look at the major development in Ondo State in recent times, Ondo State has been so stagnant, and it is one of the most underdeveloped state capitals in the southwest.”
Also dismissing the claims of Igbabo, Clement Faboyede, a former commissioner and former PDP chairman in the state, insisted that those casting aspersions on his loyalty were engaging in mere blackmail, emphasising that he maintains friendships across political parties, adding that such relationships do not affect his loyalty to the PDP.
“I have friends across all parties. But that does not mean I will work against my own party. Not at all. My loyalty to the PDP is unquestionable. If you offend me today and you need help tomorrow, if I have the capacity, I will do it. Everything is left to God. That is who I am.”
Just as the PDP is battling its internal crises, the ADC has also been engulfed in leadership disputes, a development political observers argue would negatively impact the chances of the party in its journey to 2027.
The crisis in the state chapter of the ADC began shortly after a visit by its Interim National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, to Ondo State on July 10, 2025, where he urged members to embrace unity and the need to be strategic to dislodge the APC in 2027.
Instead of fostering cohesion, the visit exposed deep divisions following accusations that certain individuals were plotting to hijack the ADC’s structure in the state, as well as the imposition of unrecognised state and local government coordinators by external forces in a bid to control the party.
With a former member of the House of Representatives, Prof. Bode Ayorinde, operating as state coordinator of the party, the Publicity Secretary, Eniola Olurotimi, swiftly stated that the Executive Committee, led by its Chairperson, Sidikatu Ganiyu Ojo, is the only constitutionally recognised leadership of the ADC in the state.
He said, “We urge all party members, stakeholders, and the general public to disregard any misleading claims or publications suggesting a change in the Ondo State executive. Chief (Mrs) Ganiyu Sidikatu Ojo remains the authentic and recognised Chairperson of the African Democratic Congress in Ondo State.
“All the lists of names announced by certain people to coordinate local government offices of ADC in Ondo State are hereby not acceptable, null and void, as they run counter to the subsisting order within the party. Therefore, all those so-called appointed must immediately desist from exercising any authority whatsoever on behalf of the party.”
A political analyst and senior lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Dr Gbenga Abimbola, emphasised that opposition parties in Ondo State have relinquished their constitutional and moral role as the people’s watchdog.
“Truth be told, there is no serious opposition in Ondo State. Those calling themselves parties in Nigeria are not really parties; they are just platforms through which politicians gain power. Political parties are noted or defined by ideologies. In Nigeria, which political party can boast of an ideology?
“So, where you have a real party system, you will be able to differentiate a party from another based on what each party stands for and the ideology that is driving the party, and that is what informs manifestos. But in Nigeria, it is like all of them are the same, and that is why it is very easy for one politician to jump from one party to the other. Some people can even jump from one political party to two or three within one year, and they will still be comfortable. They will be easily integrated into those parties.
“It shows that we don’t really have political parties in Nigeria. In Ondo State, even those who contested against the governor were formerly in the same party, the main opposition. The candidate, Agboola Ajayi of the PDP, was also deputy governor for four years before he went back to the PDP.
“I think we need a virile opposition so that the party in power and the governor will be put on their toes and will be able to deliver governance for the good of all. What we are having now is a one-man show where the governor is so powerful, and no one dares challenge him on anything he is doing.
“For me, I think the good people of Ondo State should be able to speak out on policies and projects that were instituted by his predecessor that are still lying prostrate; the ones he himself has instituted, he has not completed any to my knowledge. It is like we are just struggling and the resources are there.
“The governor has access to more resources than his predecessors based on the devaluation of currency and removal of subsidies. What we are having is like motion without movement. We need a virile opposition that can put the government on its toes. The opposition is very weak, and the weakness is giving the party in power and the governor himself a field day.”
