My Intra-party opponent, Ebiseni, Impersonated Me– Olorunfemi Alleges
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Ondo State, Ayodele Olorunfemi, has revealed how his party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) significantly contributed to his defeat at the poll.
Olorunfemi was involved in a legal tussle with his arch rival, Olusola Ebiseni, over the governorship candidacy of the LP.
The legal battle lasted for months with some prominent politicans in the party throwing their weights behind Olusola Ebiseni.
Following weeks of suspense, Olorunfemi heaved a sigh of relief when the Court of Appeal in Abuja vacated an earlier judgment by the Federal High Court ordering the electoral umpire to recognise Obi’s anointed candidate, Olusola Ebiseni.
The reinstated LP candidate came back and joined the political fray few days to the election as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned his name on the ballot as the party’s standard bearer.
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, Olorunfemi, who bemoaned his loss at the poll expressed his displeasure over the events that marred his preparation prior to the election.
Speaking about his loss in an interview with newsmen , Olorunfemi vowed not to forgive Obi and the NLC for the alleged role they played in scuttling his Ondo governorship campaign.
When asked if he succeeded in having a last-minute door-to-door campaign with his supporters after winning his appeal, a saddened Olorunfemi confessed that his campaign for the election was neither here nor there.
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 Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race?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.”
While accepting that he knew his chances at the poll were slim after his reinstatement a few days to the poll, Olorunfemi vowed to get his pound of flesh.
The LP deputy chairman for South also threatened to petition police authorities to investigate how his name and signature were forged by Ebiseni and the NLC.
“Thank God we got an appeal judgment and my name is back in the INEC portal. The good thing here is that the truth has prevailed. Withdrawal must be voluntary. You cannot force someone to withdraw. What they have done was an attempt to force me behind my back.
“Again, it wasn’t the party that submitted it. It was the handiwork of the former President of the NLC and head of the National Transition Committee, Abduwaheed Omar. What they did is criminal.
“In fact, I am planning to petition the Inspector General of Police to probe how they wrote that letter, put my signature and presented it before the court. We will deal with that later. For now, we are still doing our underground work and doing our best for this election,” he stated.
As of the time of filing this story, efforts to reach both Obi and Ebiseni for reactions were unsuccessful.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling All Progressives Congress was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission after sweeping the 18 local government areas in Ondo.
APC’s Ayedatiwa polled a total of 366,781 votes to defeat Agboola Ajayi of the PDP, who got 117,845 votes.
