REJOINDER: Equity Is Not Ignorance — Setting The Record Straight On Ondo South Senatorial Zoning

REJOINDER: EQUITY IS NOT IGNORANCE — SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON ONDO SOUTH SENATORIAL ZONING

-Just Because Something Is Constitutional Does Not Make It Equitable

I have read the Lekekeke Volunteer Media response to my earlier piece. I thank them for their attention, even though their submission regrettably chose insults over issues.

Let me state upfront: I hold Hon. Dr. Isaac Kekemeke in high regard. My intervention was never an attack on his competence. It was a principled stand on equity, balance, and democratic inclusion in Ondo South. Since Lekekeke Volunteer Media avoided facts and resorted to name-calling, permit me to restate the real issues for the public.

1. I Never Claimed It Is “Unconstitutional”  

Lekekeke Volunteer Media built a strawman. Nowhere did I argue that it is unconstitutional for a Governor and Senator to come from the same LGA. The Constitution is silent on zoning.

My point is political, not legal: Just because something is constitutional does not make it equitable. Democracy runs on conventions, balancing, and sensitivity. If legality was all that mattered, we would not have federal character, rotational presidency, or zoning in parties. We embrace these principles to ensure no bloc feels perpetually subjugated.

2. Ilaje and Ese-Odo Are Separate — But the Monopoly Remains

We are fully aware Ilaje and Ese-Odo are two LGAs. That distinction is not the issue.

The facts: The Governor, H.E. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, hails from Ilaje. The APC National Vice Chairman, South West, is from the Ilaje/Ese-Odo axis. The senatorial seat now being projected for the same axis means _three apex political positions_ concentrated in one federal constituency.

Call it Ilaje. Call it Ese-Odo. The result is the same: power monopoly in one corner of Ondo South while Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo watch from the sidelines. That is the equity question Lekekeke Volunteer Media refused to answer.

3. Zoning Is Not Sentiment — It Is Political Wisdom 

To claim zoning is “sentimental distortion” is to deny the history of Ondo South politics. This district has survived on rotational balance. The Senate seat has moved between blocs to preserve peace and party cohesion.

When Ambassador IFJ was elevated, a subsisting understanding existed on where the seat should go next. To discard that at an Ore meeting presided over by the chief beneficiary of the new arrangement is not negotiation. It is imposition. And imposition, not zoning, breeds division.

4. The Real Test: Competence + Equity

We agree on competence, acceptability, and electoral strength. Hon. Dr. Kekemeke is competent. But so are qualified sons and daughters of Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.

The question is: If we have competent hands across all six LGAs, why must we concentrate Governor, National Vice Chairman, and Senator in one axis? Equity says spread power. Monopoly says keep it. Ondo South must choose.

5. On Misinformation and Insults

Lekekeke Volunteer Media said I “lack basic knowledge” yet failed to name the LGAs of the Governor and their principal. They could not refute the monopoly; they only attacked the messenger.

Public discourse is diminished not by those who raise equity concerns, but by those who respond to facts with insults. We will not descend with them. We will stay on the facts.

Conclusion: Let the People Decide — After Fair Consultation 

1. Nobody says Hon. Dr. Kekemeke cannot contest. We say: respect existing zoning and consult all blocs before declaring “consensus”.  

2. True democracy is not “all positions to one axis because it is legal”. True democracy is “all blocs have a sense of belonging because it is fair”.  

3. Ondo South is not a family estate. Oke-Igbo/Ile-Oluji, Odigbo, Irele, and Okitipupa are not spectators. The Senate seat should return to Okitipupa to complete the tenure.

We stand for peace. We stand for equity. We stand for a senatorial race where every LGA feels respected. That is not ignorance. That is democracy.

I await a fact-based response from Lekekeke Volunteer Media, not more insults. The public is watching.

Mike Olatunji