Reps: Area to produce Tunji-Ojo’s replacement causes tension in Ondo

The choice of the area to produce replacement for Bunmi Tunji-Ojo in the House of Representatives is causing tension in the Akoko North Federal Constituency, Ondo State.

Recall that Tunji-Ojo has been appointed as a Minister by President Bola Tinubu.

Before his appointment, he was the representative of the Akoko North federal constituency in the House.

The controversy now is which local government to present the candidate to replace the former occupier of the office, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass has declared the seat of Bunmi Tunji-Ojo vacant following his appointment as a Minister.

Contrary to the zoning arrangement in the constituency,  Tunji-Ojo won re-election into the House.

Sources said the re-election of Tunji-Ojo was the first time since the beginning of the present political dispensation in 1999.

Between 1999 and 2003, Busari Dada from Akoko North-East LGA was elected under the platform of Alliance for Democracy into the National Assembly.  He was replaced by Prince Lanre Adeyemi from Irun-Akoko in the Akoko Northwest council area. He lost his re-election bid even though the AD gave him a return ticket for a second term.

Adeyemi was defeated by Gbenga Elegbeleye who represented the federal constituency between 2007 and 2011. Efforts by Elegbeleye to get reelected also failed even though he got the ticket of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party.

Elegbeleye was defeated by Ganny Dauda of the Labour Party from the Akoko North-West LGA.  Aware of the zoning arrangement, Dauda who was in the National Assembly between 2011 and 2015 did not seek reelection.

Dauda paved the way forStephen Olemija from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko North-East LGA between 2015 and 2019 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Although Olemija wanted to seek re-election under the platform of the African Democratic Congress, he was defeated by Tunji-Ojo who was in the National Assembly between 2019 and 2023, breaking the jinx of re-election in the federal constituency.

One of the sources said, “However, the former lawmaker was appointed as a Minister of the Interior Ministry, leaving the seat vacant for either a representative from Akoko North-East or Akoko North-West.

“The aspirants from Akoko North-West have argued that since the Senator for Ondo North senatorial district is from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko North-East, it is logical for the council area to yield the House of Representatives to them.

“However, the aspirants from Akoko Northwest believe that the senatorial seat is for six local governments while the House of Representatives seat is strictly an arrangement between two local governments.

“The aspirants from the two major political parties; the PDP and APC are pushing for separate arguments on which local government should present the candidate to replace Tunji-Ojo in the National Assembly.”