The chances of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa securing re-election in the upcoming November 16 governorship election in Ondo State received a significant boost as the Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom threw its weight behind his candidacy. On Sunday, the kingdom’s traditional council formally endorsed Aiyedatiwa, who is running under the banner of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The endorsement by the Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, home to the Ijaw-speaking people, came as Senior High Chief Bibopere Ajube, a prominent Niger Delta peace ambassador and entrepreneur, pledged to fully fund Aiyedatiwa’s campaign in the six local government areas of the state’s southern senatorial district.
The Agadagba and Paramount Ruler of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, Pere (Barrister) Zaccheus Doubra Egbunu, Opukutu III, announced the endorsement, emphasizing that the decision was motivated by the substantial support the Ilaje people extended to their own Hon. Donald Ojogo during the 2023 House of Representatives election. Ojogo, an Ijaw, made history by winning a seat in the Green Chamber.
“Our governor is our son in Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom because he is our closest neighbor. There is no way we will not give him maximum support, especially as an Ilaje man,” said the monarch. “In Ijaw land, we value and reciprocate good gestures; we cannot forget in a hurry how the Ilajes mobilized hugely for our son, Hon. Donald Ojogo, to win the House of Representatives seat in 2023. For the very first time, an Ijaw man is in the Green Chamber. So it’s our duty, it’s an obligation for us to massively vote for this governor who happens to be our Ilaje son.”
Ajube, who serves as the Pathfinder of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, hosted Governor Aiyedatiwa at a well-attended ceremony where over 2,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the APC. During the event, Ajube reaffirmed his commitment to financing the election in the southern senatorial district.
“Mr. Governor, your election is our election and that of the president because it is the first governorship election in the Southwest since the 2023 presidential election that produced our own President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. As such, it is of great consequence to the president, and we cannot afford to play with it. We will not disappoint our president, and that is why we have demolished all the ward structures of the PDP in our kingdom,” Ajube declared.
He added, “Your Excellency, just leave the six local government areas in the southern senatorial district of the state for me to provide the money. Just keep the little money you have for other senatorial districts. I have the capacity. I am an Ijaw man. We don’t deceive people. If we say we will do something, don’t doubt it; we will do it.”
Governor Aiyedatiwa, while welcoming the defectors into the APC, expressed gratitude for their support and pledged to continue his administration’s initiatives aimed at improving the lives of the people of Ondo State. He also thanked the party leaders for their unwavering backing.
Hon. Caleb Ebi Molos, Chairman of Arogbo LCDA, lauded the governor’s efforts in supporting Arogbo Kingdom and assured him of the people’s full backing.
The event was attended by various political figures, including Hon. Donald Ojogo, Hon. Agabra Atili, Hon. Toyin Allen, Hon. Samuel Twatimi, and Hon. Kolade Akinjo, among others.
