Former Commissioner for Education, Pastor Femi Agagu, is set to contest the forthcoming bye election to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the Ondo South Senatorial District.
The by-election is necessitated by the appointment of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations by President Bola Tinubu.
Ibrahim later resigned from the Senate, leaving Ondo South Senatorial District without a senator.
Since INEC published the guidelines and announced June 20 as the date of the by-election, many political gladiators have been busy with diverse permutations and horse tradings.
At first, there was a long list of aspirants, expressing interests in flying the APC flag in the by-election, until the party leadership projected that it would only be fair to allow someone from Okitipupa Local Government to complete the tenure of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
The new Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN is from Igbotako in constituency 1 of Okitipupa Local Government.
Among those aspiring to replace Senator Jimoh Ibrahim are Princess Oladunni Odu, RT Hon. Jumoke Akindele and Professor Dayo Faduyile.
Pastor Femi Agagu joined the race recently.
It was gathered that Agagu was drafted into the race by some prominent Ikale leaders, citing his capacity for quality representation in the National Assembly.
Agagu, they argue, combines a strong intellect and sound analytical mind that easily sets him apart anywhere he goes.
While they agree that the trio of Odu, Akindele and Faduyile are eminently qualified for the job, they insist that supporting Femi Agagu would be doing justice to memory of his late brother and illustrious son of Ikale land, Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, former Governor of Ondo State.
In 2011, late Governor Agagu contested election to represent Ondo South Senatorial District but lost to a less popular candidate of the Labour Party, Boluwaji Kunlere.
The election was believed to have been massively rigged in favour of the Labour Party.
The Ikale leaders are reported to have taken their case to Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, seeking his support for the candidature of Femi Agagu; though it was not clear if the governor had given his word on the Agagu project.
