Ondo election 2024: No female candidate, key political parties… all you should know

Ondo State voters will head to the polls tomorrow, Saturday, November 16, 2024, to elect a new governor, in an off-cycle election.

This is coming 11 months after the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who died after a prolonged battle with leukemia and prostate cancer.

The election which is to hold in 3,933 polling units across the 18 local government areas of the state, as stated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) features 17 political parties and 18 governorship candidates.

INEC also revealed the total number of registered voters to be 2,053,061, while the just 64,273 voters are in possession of their Permanent Voters CarD (PVC), out of the 89,777 cards delivered to the state. Here’s all you need to know:

No Representation for women

In a press release, the Independent National Electoral Commission revealed that there was no female nominee in the 17 political parties vying for the governorship position in Ondo state. Although, African Democratic Congress nominated a person with disability (a paraplegic)

With the governorship election to hold in less than 24 hours and having an all-male candidates inclusivity in Nigeria’s democracy is still far from reality, especially women inclusion in politics.

Recently, people across the world dealt with the shock of missing an opportunity to have the first female president of the most powerful nation in the world and one of the longest democracy and women suffrage with Kamala Harris loss to Donald Trump in the United States of America 2024 presidential election and this speaks volumes to the gap in gender representation in politics.

Increasing Youth Participation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reports a total of 2,053,061 registered voters in Ondo State. With 1,034,006 (50.36%) male voters, 1,034,964 (47.89%) female voters and 726,944 (35.41%) youth voters. The increase in youth participation is a welcome development and can potentially have impact on the election

Key Political Parties and Candidates 

Lucky Aiyedatiwa (All Progressives Congress – APC)

Lucky Aiyedatiwa is current governor of Ondo state and APC flag bearer. Aiyedatiwa, who took over after the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in 2023, has a robust academic background, including a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Liverpool. His policies prioritises security, economic growth, agriculture, youth development, and women’s empowerment.

Agboola Ajayi (Peoples Democratic Party – PDP)

A former deputy governor and seasoned politician, Agboola Ajayi is running under the PDP. At 54, Ajayi brings experience from his legal background and prior leadership roles, including being the chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1988 at 20 years of age and serving as chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government. His seven-point agenda focuses on security, health, rural development, and marine economic initiatives.

Sola Ebiseni (Labour Party – LP)

Although Sola Ebiseni’s candidacy was disqualified by an Abuja Appeal Court ruling, his plans for free education, social welfare, and maternity care drew attention during the campaign. The Labour Party is yet to respond to the court’s decision.

Ebiseni served as commissioner during the tenure of former governor Olusegun Mimiko. During his time in the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1980, he was an active Student Union Government member.

Abbas Mimiko (Zenith Labour Party – ZLP)

The younger brother of former governor Olusegun Mimiko, Abbas Mimiko, is a medical psychiatrist representing the ZLP. His agenda emphasizes food security, housing, healthcare, and peace, all outlined in his seven-point plan.

Here’s the full list of candidates for the Ondo state governorship election according to INEC:

Falaiye Abraham Ajibola – A

Akinuli Fred Omolere – AA

Ajayi Adekunle Oluwaseyi – AAC

Nejo Adeyemi – ADC

Akinnodi Ayodeji Emmanuel – ADP

Aiyedatiwa Lucky Orimisan – APC

Popoolqa Olatunji Tunde – APGA

Ogunfeyimi Isaac Kolawole – APM

Fadoju Amos Babatunde – APP

Ebiseni Olusola Nehemiah – LP

Olugbemiga Omogbemi Edema – NNPP

Ajaunoko Funmilayo Jenyo – NRM

Ajayi Alfred Agboola – PDP

Alli Babatunde Francis – PRP

Akingboye Benson Bamidele – SDP

Adegoke Kehinde Paul – YP

Akinmurele John Otitoloju – YPP

Mimiko Olubansile Abbas – ZLP