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ONDO SOUTH SENATE SEAT BELONGS TO DISTRICT, NOT OKITIPUPA — GROUP
A socio-political group, the Ondo South Forum for Equity and Fairness, has rejected claims that the Senate seat currently occupied by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim must automatically revert to Okitipupa Local Government Area if it becomes vacant.
The group insisted that the position belongs to the entire Ondo South Senatorial District.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim was among the 65 Nigerians recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as assessorial designates. They have already been screened and cleared by the Senate.
The group stated this in a statement issued and signed by its coordinator, Akindele Akinrujomu on Tuesday, arguing that there is neither a constitutional nor moral basis for restricting the contest for the seat to any single local government.
According to the forum, Senator Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South in the National Assembly, is alive, healthy, and has not been removed from office, stressing that only voluntary resignation, death, or incapacitation can create a vacancy.
It explained that if the senator resigns, the seat becomes vacant for the whole senatorial district and not for the Okitipupa Local Government alone.
“A Senate seat is not a local government inheritance; it is a mandate of the entire senatorial district. Resignation resets the contest and does not preserve the seat for the same local government,” the group said.
The forum noted that the argument for automatic replacement from Okitipupa is only applicable where a lawmaker dies or is incapacitated, a situation it said does not apply in the current circumstance.
It further described the insistence on Okitipupa retaining the seat as an attempt to marginalise other local governments within the district.
The group also raised concerns about equity and political balance, pointing out that Okitipupa Local Government is already enjoying what it described as “double political advantage.”
“Through Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Okitipupa Local Government is already taken to be holding an ambassadorial position. Allowing it to also retain the Senate seat amounts to double political representation and offends the principle of fairness,” the statement read.
The forum argued that if Ilaje Local Government is excluded from contesting the seat because it currently produces the governor, and Ese-Odo is similarly excluded due to an ambassadorial slot, then Okitipupa should not be treated differently.
“Equity cannot be selective. Applying different standards amounts to discrimination against other local governments in Ondo South,” the group added.
The forum stressed that its position was not targeted at any individual but aimed at ensuring fair representation across the senatorial district.
“This is not about personalities. It is about justice, balance and inclusion. The Senate seat is a district mandate, not an inherited entitlement. An underrepresented local government should be given a fair chance,” the statement concluded.
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