The Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Ondo State governorship election, Ayodele Olorunfemi, has expressed disappointment over his defeat in the November 16 poll, attributing his loss to the actions of former LP presidential candidate Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The election results, announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner after he garnered 366,781 votes across all 18 local government areas. His closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), received 117,845 votes. Olorunfemi of the Labour Party trailed far behind.
Olorunfemi had faced a tumultuous journey leading up to the election. A Court of Appeal ruling just days before the poll reinstated him as the Labour Party’s candidate after a legal battle over party leadership and candidate selection. He accused Obi and the NLC of undermining his campaign by initially supporting Olusola Ebiseni, a different candidate.
He said, “I have Peter Obi and the NLC to thank for that. They have scuttled my aspirations and chances to win this Ondo election. These people spoilt things for us with that PDP reject they wanted to force on the party. Their insistence on having Ebiseni on the ballot ruined everything for me.
“They just capitalised on the crisis between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress to create problems. Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race? They cannot exclude me from such a position.”
In response, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, dismissed Olorunfemi’s claims, describing him as “a funny character” and accusing him of working indirectly for the APC.
