The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has announced Lucky Ayedatiwa, a former representative of the state on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as his running mate for the October 10 election.
It is gathered that Mr Ayedatiwa’s name was sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday.
He is a native of Obe-Nla, an oil-bearing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Confirming the development, Mr Akeredolu uploaded a graphic showing his name and Mr Ayedatiwa on Twitter on Wednesday.
Newsonspot blog gathered from sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the latest development has dashed the hope of many chieftains battling for the tickets.
Those that were said to have shown interest asides Mr Ayedatiwa include former members of the state assembly, former federal lawmakers, and some aspirants who stepped down for Mr Akeredolu in the just concluded primary election.
The governor was said to have settled for a traditional member of the APC to avoid the same trouble he had with Agboola Ajayi who left Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC four years ago and then returned to contest under the opposition party ahead of the upcoming election.
Mr Ajayi lost to Eyitayo Jegede who contested against Mr Akeredolu in 2016.
When contacted for confirmation, the spokesperson of APC in Ondo State, Alex Kalejaiye, refused to make comments on Mr Akeredolu’s choice. He simply said the best running mate will contest with the governor for the October 10 governorship election.
