Lucky Aiyedatiwa did not win the Ondo governorship through a typical election. He inherited it when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu died in office. That inheritance came with a constitutional ceiling: because Akeredolu’s tenure counts as his first, Aiyedatiwa cannot seek a third term. His window closes in February 2028.
Knowing that timeline makes it easier to understand everything that has just happened to him.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, known as BTO, is Nigeria’s Minister of Interior and a native of Ondo North. He has federal weight, presidential access, and deep roots in Ondo’s grassroots politics. He wants to be governor in 2028, and he has been positioning for it methodically.
The confrontation came to a head over the 2027 National Assembly candidate lists. Aiyedatiwa attempted to push through a handpicked set of loyalists as APC’s nominees. Aspirants who were shut out responded with over 500 petitions to the party’s National Working Committee in Abuja.
The NWC sided against the governor. The final list sent to INEC contained none of his Senate or House of Representatives picks. The slots went to BTO-aligned candidates. In the State Assembly, only 11 of 26 candidates are considered Aiyedatiwa loyalists, and even those had to travel to Abuja personally to lobby for their names to survive.
