Ondo 2020 Election: Ondo Deputy Governor Set To Dump APC For PDP

Ahead of the Octo­ber 10, 2020 gover­norship election in Ondo State, there are feelers that the embattled deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, may, any mo­ment from now, dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The relationship between Ajayi and his principal, Gov­ernor Rotimi Akeredolu, has not been cordial and there are clear signals that the two may not pair together if Akeredolu eventually clinches the par­ty’s ticket.

A credible source said Ajayi “is 70 percent out of APC at the moment”.

He also added that if the PDP leadership was able to convince other aspirants to step down for him, Ajayi might emerge as its candidate in the governorship election.

According to him, the deal was facilitated by two PDP governors from the North- West and South-South as well as some PDP leaders in the Ondo State chapter.

“I understood that the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was not there because he was in Rivers State due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“However, that is not true. What he is telling the PDP members is that he has more persons in the APC, especially in the House of Assembly and the cabinet, and that they are ready to move with him once he decamps. That is what he is using to negotiate for the PDP ticket.

“From the information, we are getting, the PDP NWC is like­ly to call all other aspirants to step down for him since he has that kind of support.

“Three weeks ago, the Sec­retary to the State Govern­ment (SSG), Ifedayo Abegunde, confirmed to the governor, in the presence of the Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, that the deputy governor confided in him that he would join the PDP if Akeredolu was given the ticket by the APC. He said so in the presence of the dep­uty governor.

“As it stands, the deputy governor is almost out of the APC. What he is trying to do now is that he wants to stay in the government and rock the boat. Even if he joins the PDP, he will not resign so that he can be fighting from within.”

On why Ajayi appeared at the weekly COVID-19 meeting with Akeredolu, the source said: “That is one of the strat­egies the deputy governor is employing. He is trying to be closer to the governor while working underground to join the PDP.”

When contacted, an aide of the deputy governor con­firmed that his principal was in Abuja last week. He, how­ever, said he couldn’t say if he met with PDP leaders while he was there.

He added that several party leaders had intervened in the crisis between the deputy gov­ernor and his principal, but that some people in Akeredo­lu’s cabinet always worked to scuttle the peace moves.

“A lot of people have inter­vened in the crisis. People like Governor Kayode Fayemi and Senator Tayo Alasoadura, all to no avail.

“The truth is that some people in Akeredolu’s cabinet are also eyeing the deputy gov­ernorship slot, so they are do­ing everything to tarnish the deputy governor’s image and frustrate the peace moves.”

Also speaking, another associate of the deputy gov­ernor, said: “From what I know, it is either the deputy governor runs with Akeredo­lu for second term or contests against him.

“With the kind of popu­larity he enjoys in Ondo pol­itics, he can’t just fizzle out like that.”

Reacting to the issue, the PDP in Ondo State said it would gladly receive Ajayi Agboola into its fold.

It, however, said there was no automatic ticket for the deputy governor.

In a statement by its Public­ity Secretary, Zadok Akintoye, the party assured all PDP governorship aspirants that the party does not have a pre­ferred candidate and would ensure a level playing field for all aspirants or intending aspirants.

The statement said no aspirant would be shut out of the process for picking a candidate, saying the party had concluded plans to guar­anty free, fair, transparent and all-inclusive primaries as was its established custom.

According to the state­ment: “Please, note that the PDP remains absolutely committed to the principles and ethos of democracy, and all intending members are ex­pected to fully register at their ward and also participate in all party activities.

“The party acknowledges the right of His Excellency, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, and of all members of the public wish­ing to join our fold, and would accord all intending members and aspirants a warm recep­tion as we work together to liberate our dear state from the maladministration of the APC government.”

In a related development, members of the Ondo State House of Assembly, on Sun­day night, held a closed-door meeting with Governor Ak­eredolu.

The lawmakers were led to the Presidential Lodge of the Government House by the Speaker, David Oloyelogun.

Sources said three of the eight lawmakers who were sympathetic to the deputy governor were in attendance.

Those in attendance, aside from the governor and the lawmak­ers, were the state chairman of the APC, Ade Adetime­hin; political adviser to the governor, Victor Adekanye Olabintan, as well as the chief of staff to the governor, Olug­benga Ale.

The deputy governor, who arrived Akure from Abuja, was not part of the meeting.

He was said to be in Okitip­upa, his home, while the meet­ing was going on.