Rise of Alliances: At Least Eight Smaller Parties to Back APC and PDP in Ondo Guber Election
A dramatic shift in the political landscape is unfolding in Ondo State, as at least eight smaller political parties have reached agreements to align with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the upcoming governorship election.
A reliable source revealed that these smaller parties have sealed deals over the weekend, under which their leadership will instruct their supporters to vote for either the APC or PDP candidate.
The source added that formal announcements are expected within the next 72 hours, and party leaders are already mobilizing their supporters for election day.
According to the insiders, the alliances are primarily driven by financial interests, with the smaller parties seeking to benefit from the resources and influence of the bigger parties.
A high-ranking APC source confirmed that at least five governorship candidates would abandon their parties and join the APC, bringing their structures with them. This development is seen as a significant boost for the APC, given the importance of numbers in politics.
The APC Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, stated that the defectors would be unveiled before the election, adding that they would bring their entire structures with them.
A chieftain of the PDP in Ondo State, however, expressed skepticism about the alliances, describing them as purely financial deals. The party official claimed that the smaller parties were using the big parties to bargain for more financial gains.
The Ondo State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kennedy Peretei, confirmed that the party had been engaged in alliance talks with the smaller parties, but failed to provide a timeline for the announcement of the merged parties.
A total of 17 political parties have cleared to participate in the Ondo governorship election, including the APC, PDP, and 15 other parties.
