Senator Olajide (Jide) Ipinsagba’s political chapter in Ondo North is over. That is the plain truth the APC primary confirmed.
Despite frantic entreaties in Abuja and whispered interventions by friends in the Senate, the electorate acted decisively: they cleared the bench.
The only corner where Ipinsagba can still point to support is Akoko North West and even that reflects local influence, notably the sway of Interior Minister Bunmi Tunji Ojo, rather than a widespread mandate across the senatorial district.
Make no mistake, Sen Ipinsagba’s 2023 win was not primarily a product of grassroots love. It was a victory propelled by the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s blessing. That borrowed victory never translated into durable constituency loyalty, and the fragility of his support was exposed in this primary.
So weak was his footing that Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele reportedly escorted him to Minister Bunmi Tunji Ojo to plead for intervention, an admission of political vulnerability that only confirmed what voters already knew. Ipinsagba lacked the local base to win an open contest.
Ajipe’s victory was neither accidental nor engineered by Abuja’s corridors of power. He won fairly and squarely. Voters in Owo, Akoko, and Ose made a clear democratic calculation: they preferred a candidate they believed would be present, responsive, and deliver tangible results. Where Ipinsagba relied on proximity to governors and ministers, Ajipe offered presence and promise and the people rewarded that distinction.
This episode is instructive for all political actors. The myth that closeness to power guarantees political immortality has been decisively punctured. Party machinery and senatorial camaraderie can try to paper over deficits but they cannot replace the essential currency of democratic life, voter approval. Since 2015, Nigerians have demonstrated a readiness to remove presumed incumbents; Ipinsagba’s defeat is simply the latest illustration.
The Red Chamber is a window not a sanctuary. Elected offices are borrowed from the electorate; they must be repaid with concrete outcomes. Constituents are no longer content with photo ops and ceremonial visits. They demand measurable interventions, better roads, improved healthcare, investments in education, and officials who answer their calls outside the run up to elections. Where those outcomes are absent, political cover from Abuja rings hollow.
If Ipinsagba truly seeks rehabilitation, the path back is arduous and clear, start at home. Host genuine town halls, publish transparent tracking of constituency projects, partner with local stakeholders to deliver measurable improvements, and rebuild trust with youth groups, civil society, and traditional institutions. No amount of backroom lobbying will substitute for the hard work of earning votes on the ground.
We await the party’s official list, but the message from the ground is already unmistakable. When the APC leadership publishes the names, let it remember that legitimacy begins at home not in Abuja backrooms. Endorsing candidates who have been rejected by their constituencies risks deepening the very disconnect voters just punished in Ondo North.
Ipinsagba’s departure is not a private misfortune; it is a public lesson. Politics in Nigeria is shifting from patronage to performance. Those who fail to recalibrate will be left behind. The elephant, for now, is home. If he wishes to return, let him walk back through the constituency door and earn his place again.
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