WHILE the chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South west are still savouring the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in the South west geo-political zone, there are already mixed feelings about the romance, as indications are emerging that the romance with PDP might be short lived. Apart from Osun State where loyalists of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) decided not to think the way of their kinsmen in the South West, chieftains of the PDP in the zone are upbeat over the presidential result gave victory to President Jonathan. Official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that the South West voted en masse for the PDP. To some PDP members, the result was a relief, which rekindled their hopes after the abysmal showing at the National Assembly polls. The PDP did not only perform woefully in the National Assembly election in the South West, the result turned out to be a coup dgrace for some top PDP candidates like Senator Iyiola Omisore, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Senator Kamoru Adedibu, Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole and former Governor of Osun Col. Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Relatively known ACN candidates roundly defeated them. But the question now is how far would the victory dance last for the PDP in the zone Some PDP chieftains have argued that the presidential election was a true reflection of the peoples wish and that the PDP remains a party to beat in the zone. Others have described the victory in Yoruba wise saying that (a o ki n da omo nu pelu omi Buruku) which literally means, you do not throw away baby with a bad water. In other words they voted for President Jonathan and not PDP. Besides, the candidature of the ACN for the presidential election Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was a hard sell in the South West while Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was also not acceptable in the zone. President Jonathan was considered the best even when many would not agree with his party, the PDP. Since the results of the presidential election were being returned, PDP members and other parties especially the ACN are anxiously considering what effect the presidential election would have on the April 26 governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls.Lagos State Some factors have been cited as responsible for Jonathans victory in the South West. Was there a meeting or a pact between former governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the presidency few days to the election There were reports of how a presidential jet came to Lagos to convey the ACN leader to Abuja, and it is speculated that the massive votes Jonathan got in Lagos was the outcome of the meeting. But yesterday in Lagos, the PDP governorship candidate Dr. Ade Dosunmu dismissed claims of a prior agreement between Jonathan and leaders of the ACN. Dosunmu said, there is no deal, no discussion, or meeting with the ACN.Everyone knows that with the attitude of the ACN and their leaders, they will not concede their area. How could they have conceded when they were in alliance talks with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) How can anyone explain the sudden turn around by the party, it is not logical. The ACN even made efforts to win the polls in Lagos but they lost. If there was a deal, why was there no deal in Osun State where their candidate Nuhu Ribadu won If there was any deal, it would have covered the entire South West. Dosunmu hopes to win and has cited that the massive voting for Jonathan is a true reflection of the strength of the PDP in the state. How true that is, will be seen on Tuesday.Ekiti State Although the governorship polls would not hold in the state till 2013, the state House of Assembly polls that will hold next week Tuesday have renewed hostilities between PDP and ACN in the state. Former governor of the state Mr. Ayodele Fayose who is the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) has even announced that there are enough cows on ground to celebrate his victory at the election that is yet to hold. Before the October 15, 2010 judgment that terminated the PDP government in Ekiti, the State House of Assembly was evenly controlled by the PDP and ACN. Both parties had 13 members each. But the ACN now has 15 members. And after the PDP scored 135,009 and ACN 116,981 in the presidential polls, the PDP has gone to town claiming that the result is an indication that the party is on ground in the state. But the ACN quickly replied that Ekiti people voted for Jonathan and not the PDP. Ekiti PDPs Director of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Jackson Adebayo described the outcome of the presidential polls in the state has a further confirmation of the popularity of the party over the ACN. In a statement, Adebayo stated that, it has been finally revealed that there was never a time that ACN won any election in the state, rather whenever there is election ACN will choose the pages of newspaper to sell propaganda rather than campaigning to the electorate. But the Chairman of ACN in Ekiti, Chief Jide Awe in a statement yesterday noted that the people of Ekiti state voted for candidate Jonathan Goodluck and not the PDP. He said that the PDP in the state must not see the voting pattern in the South West as an endorsement of the party, adding that the progressives will go back to the basics during the National and State Assembly elections in the state. But the last minute efforts of the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade to convince Ekiti people to vote for President Jonathan was particularly recognised. For weeks Olubolade was seen traversing the villages selling the candidacy of Jonathan even in places believed to be hostile to the PDP. But if the efforts of Olubolade worked for the President, it would be a more challenging task for him to get voters in Ekiti to endorse PDP on April 26 because Governor Fayemi remains the beautiful bride with a lot of goodwill to control the voting pattern in Ekiti.Ogun State The winning of the presidential election came at the time when the chieftains of the embattled PDP in Ogun were still mourning their defeat at the National Assembly polls where they lost the three senatorial seats to the ACN and yet to win any seat at the House of Representatives. Though the victory of the President Jonathan in the state was supposed to bring succor to the party, internal crisis that has torn the party apart still remains its albatross. Members of the party in the state cannot claim the victory of President Jonathan. Governor Gbenga Daniel, the coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo ticket in the South West had one leg in the PDP while the other was in the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), which also endorsed Jonathan as its presidential candidate. While the PDP governorship candidate Gen. Tunji Olurin is looking forward to benefiting for the voters goodwill extended to President Jonathan, some party bigwigs noted the governorship election will be a straight fight between the ACN candidate, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and PPN flag bearer Gboyega Nasir Isiaka. The PDP bigwigs still cannot reconcile how the people rejected Bankole, Iyabo Obasanjo Bello and other partys candidate and still voted for Jonathan. The ACN has the best results to flaunt among the three leading parties but since the parameter for the governorship election is expected to change and the credentials of the candidates will also play a major role, all eyes are on Isiaka.Osun State In Osun people, the PDP and its presidential candidate were strongly without apologies. The ACN in the state fought the PDP for over three years in the courts before it reclaimed the 2007 governorship election victory. Before Governor Rauf Aregbesola got his mandate, the state House of Assembly was controlled by the PDP, but that has changed. The ACN had proved its supremacy in the National Assembly election where Omisore and Oyinlola lost. On April 26 when Osun people will return to polls to vote for its 26 member House of Assembly and Ife federal Constituency in the National Assembly, not much is expected from the opposition. In fact the killings of some ACN members in Ife may also work against opposition parties in the state.Ondo President Jonathan pulled 387.376 representing 79.57 per cent of the total votes cast while ACN got 74,253 making 15.25 per cent of the votes but the reality is that the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Ondo is firmly on ground. Governor Olusegun Mimiko who also came to power through a judgment of Appeal Court that ended the administration of Olusegun Agagu of the PDP has left no body in doubt that he has the state. His support for President Jonathan has been speculated as the beginning of the process of Mimikos return to the PDP, a party he left in 2007. He has denied it. With the votes the LP got in the National Assembly polls and the acceptability of the party in the state, there is little chance for the opposition to spring any surprise at the April 26 polls.Oyo State Governor Christopher Alao-Akala has gone to town thanking the people of Oyo for voting for the PDP in presidential election. He has also urged them to maintain the voting pattern. But how far would his wishes go remain to be seen. But the PDPs performance at the NASS election in the state was not that encouraging because the governor will face serious contenders on April 26. He would face the ACN candidate Senator Abiola Ajimobi and former governor, Rasheed Ladojas Accord Party (AP). While many still argue that if Ladoja and Ajimobi that come from the same Ibadan still face each other at the poll, then Alao-Akala will certainly break the jinx of being the first governor of Oyo to win a re-election. However it has been argued that with the result of National Assembly polls, the ACN looks certain to end the PDPs tenancy in Agodi Government House.
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