Ololade Adeyanju/
Insiders in Ondo APC politics have revealed how leaders of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande thwarted moves by Ondo State deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, to truncate the re-election bid of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The last may not have been heard about the feud between the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN and his estranged deputy as indications have emerged on how the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, foiled alleged move by the latter to truncate the re-election bid of the former.
Before his recent defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ajayi was a trusted ally of Akeredolu, who allegedly dictated and controlled activities in the political camp of his boss.
Then, rather than appearing in person, Akeredolu reportedly preferred to send his deputy to represent him in many political meetings organized by the national leaders of the party with the mind that they are both on the same page.
Sources, however stated that the crisis of confidence broke out between the duo when it was revealed to Akeredolu how Ajayi was allegedly creating a stumbling block for his boss in order not to get the APC return ticket.
An APC chieftain in the state narrated how the embattled Deputy Governor allegedly orchestrated the suspension of Akeredolu from the party.
But dismissing the allegations against the Deputy Governor, his Media Aide, Allen Sowore stated: “All the allegations are not correct. They are not correct. All the political decisions taken in the state were done in the best interest of the party.
“Since the deputy governor is no longer in the same party with the governor, those decisions they accused the deputy governor of initiating to Akeredolu should then be reversed if it is actually true. It is bad; people must be bold enough to take responsibility.”
Akeredolu, along with the former governors of Ogun and Imo states, Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha were suspended by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC), shortly after the 2019 general elections for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.
Akeredolu was particularly accused of causing the poor show of the party during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in his state.
An insider said that unknown to Akeredolu, Ajayi had seized the opportunity of this crack between the governor and the party’s national leaders to ease his boss from the party, while positioning himself as the only alternative who could project APC’s continuity vision in the state.
He said, “It was Asiwaju Tinubu, Akande and some leaders of the party, who quickly told Akeredolu about the plot of Ajayi to oust the governor. During that election period, some inner caucus of the governor urged him to allow Ajayi to lead the negotiations between the NWC and his camp. Rather than doing his boss’ bidding, Ajayi would go to Abuja to instigate the party leaders against his boss and come home to tell them that all was well.
“For instance, after Akeredolu openly expressed his grievances against Oshiomhole for denying his candidates from participating in the November 2018 senatorial primaries, the governor called a political meeting that was only attended by six leaders including the deputy.
“At that meeting, Akeredolu said he would accept the decision of the NWC but Ajayi advised him that they would only be setting a trap for their re-election in 2020, if their group allowed Senator Ajayi Borofice, who is representing the northern senatorial district and Senator Yele Omogunwa (South) return to the National Assembly.
“He told them in the meeting that both Borofice and Omogunwa were already warming up for the 2020 governorship election. It was then he convinced the governor on the need to sponsor candidates in another party (AA) against the APC candidates.
“To our amazement, Ajayi was the first person to leak this secret out to our political opponents. He travelled to Abuja to meet Oshiomhole, who was then the National Chairman and told him that he warned his boss against the idea of sponsoring candidates in another party but he was hell-bent.
“He incorporated the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon Ifedayo Abegunde (Abena), who resigned this Monday, into that coup plot with a promise to make him Deputy Governor and make more money in case they successfully oust Akeredolu from power.
“He reached out to the former Deputy Governor of the State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, who is also a leader of the party to fully join a group of aggrieved APC members under the umbrella of Unity Forum and he told him to begin to throw missiles on Akeredolu’s government.
“Baba Akande was hinted about the meeting and he immediately called Tinubu and warned him against encouraging a treacherous deputy governor. He told Asiwaju that it’s better to wine and dine with someone like Akeredolu who will openly fight you than keeping someone like Ajayi, who was secretly instigating people against his boss.
“It was that period that the two leaders agreed to look for ways to nip the crisis in the party in the bud and that was why Tinubu, Akande, Baba Segun Osoba flew into the state sometimes in July 2019, to hold a stakeholders’ meeting at a popular hotel in Ijapo, Akure.
“When Ajayi got to know about the meeting, he reached out to Boroffice, who is the leader of the Unity Forum and he poisoned the Senator’s mind that Tinubu and Akande have tactically endorsed Akeredolu for second term and that the purpose of the meeting was to ambush other leaders of the party in the state into Akeredolu’s reelection’s project.
“That was why Boroffice refused to show up and ensured none of the leaders from his camp, who attended the meeting accepted the resolutions. In order to give reason why he was unable to attend the Akure political meeting, the Senator, who is the Deputy Majority leader in the Senate, fixed a caucus meeting of South-West senators in his residence in Abuja for that day.”
But, Sowore stated that his boss never sold the idea of AA to Akeredolu stressing that it was a larger arrangement to actualize the presidential ambition of the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.
“AA was to be a political party for Rochas Okorocha to contest for President. You know Okorocha, the former Governor of Imo State is a very good friend of Governor Akeredolu. They were thinking of investing in AA to have a very big platform where Okorocha could contest in 2023 but if they had gotten one or two senate seats at that time, it would have been a good start. It was a big plan by the governor and other governors in the south east to ensure that they give the country a different direction and to make agitation for Igbo presidency,” Sowore said.
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