Oyo Central District is termed the most populous district in Oyo State. It shares a border with Oyo South District around Oluyole Local Government and Oyo North at the Ogo-Oluwa and Surulere Local Governments.
This is a brief analysis of the top political parties in the districts, their gubernatorial candidates and their chances of winning.
Lanlehin (ADC): Lanlehin’s ADC has wide-spread tentacles around the district. The current senator from the district, Monsurat Sumonu, is widely known in the four local governments of Oyo town and in other local governments in Ibadan. The 65-year-old gubernatorial candidate might draw tangible points from this district via the influence of the Unity Forum in the district. Unity Forum comprises those who left the APC to join the ADC.
They have a lot of influence in the districts. One of the problems the party might encounter is its obvious newness to the state’s political terrain. Supporters of former Governor Lam Adesina, including civil servants, might vote the former lawmaker into power.
Sharafadeen Ali(ZLP): Sharafadeen Alli of the Zenith Labour Party might not really get massive support like the candidates of the other political parties of the state. One of the major factors his party would enjoy is the influence of High Chief Rasheed Ladoja who is the leader of the party. In 2015, Ladoja with the Accord Party won a local government from the district. You can’t compare the ZLP to the Accord Party Ladoja used then because the latter was quite popular in the state. Zenith Labour Party of Barrister Sharafadeen Alli is barely two months old and many people might not know that it exists.
The influence of Chief Ladoja can win those areas for the barrister. There aren’t popular politicians in the party yet. The party might have to bank on the support of the civil servants. To be continued.
(Jeremiah Oluwaferanmi is a political analyst in Ekiti)
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