Ayodele Olorunfemi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the Ondo governorship election, has accused Peter Obi and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of sabotaging his chances of victory.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, with 366,781 votes across all 18 local government areas. Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 117,845 votes, while Olorunfemi garnered 1,162 votes, finishing fifth from the bottom in the 17-candidate race.

Olorunfemi’s candidacy was marred by controversy. Initially, INEC substituted him with Olusola Ebiseni as the LP candidate following a federal high court ruling. However, the appellate court later struck out the judgment for lack of jurisdiction, and INEC restored Olorunfemi as the official candidate just days before the election.

Peter Obi, LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, had endorsed Ebiseni during the campaign, calling him a candidate committed to fairness, equity, and justice. Obi’s backing of Ebiseni created division within the party, a factor Olorunfemi claims disrupted his campaign.

In an interview with PUNCH, Olorunfemi described his campaign as disorganized and ineffective, placing blame on Obi and the NLC for undermining his candidacy.

“My campaign for the election was neither here nor there. I have Peter Obi and the NLC to thank for that. They scuttled my aspirations and chances to win this Ondo election,” Olorunfemi said.

He further alleged that Ebiseni acted without his consent, writing a withdrawal letter to the court in his name during the legal dispute over the candidacy.

“They just capitalised on the crisis between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress to create problems,” he said. “Can you imagine that Ebiseni wrote a letter to the court in my name without my knowledge, saying I have withdrawn from the race? They cannot exclude me from such a position.”

Olorunfemi admitted his chances of victory were slim following the legal wrangling but stated that he is determined to pursue justice for what he sees as a betrayal by party leaders.