It is common knowledge in Ondo State that all seems not to be well between Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi.
There have been rumours that the deputy was caught in the act of scheming to become his boss’s replacement in the 2020 governorship election in the state.
When Akeredolu assumed office as the governor of the state in 2017, he was said to have ceded political matters to the office of his deputy, while he faced governance squarely.
Good as the division of responsibilities might seem, some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state were not comfortable with the governor’s decision, which he was said to have taken without consulting any leadership of the party in the state.
The fear of the chieftains of the party came to fore when the deputy governor allegedly began to entrench himself in all the 18 local government areas of the state, though with caution in Owo local government being the constituency of the governor.
During the general elections in the state, the governor was said to have instructed his followers, who were deprived of the party tickets to National Assembly by the national leadership of the party to defect to AA to execute their political ambitions.
The governor was said to have wanted to replace only Senator Borofice Ajayi with Dr. Abayomi, his favourite in the Northern Senatorial District, while other incumbent should be given the party ticket to recontest.
But the national leadership of the party insisted that all incumbent senators must be allowed to recontest, thereby declaring no vacancy in all the three Senatorial seats.
The reaction of Akeredolu to the decision of the national leadership of the party led to APC losing two among the three Senatorial seats to Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), while the presidential candidate of PDP, Abubakar Atiku won the election in the state.
This culminated in serious division among the ranks of the APC in the state, with Senator Borofice Ajayi on one side and the governor on the other.
READ ALSO:Ondo 2020: Akeredolu, Deputy fall out over APC governorship ticket; efforts to reconcile them fail
Governor Akeredolu’s actions during the general elections earned him a suspension from the party till it was lifted last week by the national leadership of the party.
Agboola Ajayi was alleged to be the one who revealed to the presidency and the party national leadership that it was the governor who was responsible for the poor performance of the party at the general elections.
It was also alleged that he was the one who recommended suspension of the governor by the party national leadership.
While the crisis lasted, the deputy governor was alleged to have enlarge the number and scope of his constitute foot soldiers in preparation for the 2020 gubernatorial election having muted the idea of replacing Akeredolu with him as the standard bearer of the party at the 2020 poll.
The decision of some party’s national leaders, Chief Osoba, Akande and Bola Ahmed Tinubu who came to Akure to settle the crisis between the party chieftains and the governor was said to have actually disrupted the alleged game plan of the deputy governor.
Some of these moves were said to have been revealed to Akeredolu by his contact at the national Secretariat of the party in Abuja.
The strategy adopted at the grassroots by the deputy was also disclosed to the governor.
These clandestine moves of the deputy governor were said to be responsible for the strained relationship between the governor and his deputy.
However, some chieftains of the party, who spoke with Daily Independent but didn’t want their names in the print, punctured some of the allegations levelled against the deputy governor, though acknowledged that the current relationship between Governor Akeredolu and his deputy is better described as a marriage of inconvenience.
One of them, who is from the Southern Senatorial District of the state acknowledged the political strength of Agboola Ajayi, but revealed that those behind his travails are some politicians who are eyeing his seat.
It was disclosed that when some national leaders of the party came around to settle the rift between the governor and some disgruntled chieftains of the party, it was agreed that the current state executive be dissolved and a new one be constituted. This he revealed culminated in serious negotiations and realignments.
It is part still part of rumours that make the round in the state that pioneer chairman of the party in the state, Isaac Kekemeke is among those eyeing the deputy governor’s seat, though Kekemeke has not at any forum disclosed this.
He’s currently among staunch members of the party who have shown interest in the guberynatorial ticket of the party to fly the party’s flag in the 2020 poll.
Among conditions and demands of the negotiators are replacement of the deputy governor and the state chairman of the party, Engr. Ade Adetimehin.
The governor was said to have been uncomfortable with replacing Adetimehin, thereby insisting that the party executive should remain intact.
One of the chieftains said the governor was not comfortable with dissolution of the state executive of the party, which he observed would determine the delegates and conduct that would vote dusting the party’s primary for the governorship ticket.
One of these chieftains described the dissolution resolution as a stylish removal of the carpet off the feet of the governor. But the governor did not fall for it, though he’s not as experienced in politics as in activism.
One of the APC chieftains, while speaking with Daily Independent, absolved the deputy governor of all the allegations levelled against him, saying it’s just a ploy to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
He described Governor Akeredolu as someone who does not believe in doing things because others are doing it. According to him, “We chieftains of our party have come to realize that you can’t force Aketi(the governor) to do anything because others have done it before. He usually looks at the legality and morality of issues before taking step.
“Even when we suggested to him to remove the Head of Service he inherited from the previous administration, he didn’t remove. He told us point blank that since the man has not reached the retirement age, there’s no point removing him. We told him it’s a tradition, but he said he would not be part of such evil tradition. He didn’t remove the man. The man retired some months ago.
“So they know that in order to make him replace Agboola in the next election, they have to blackmail him.
“The scheming for Agboola’s removal is a big project being sponsored by some people who are occupying strong offices in Aketi’s cabinet.”
Moreover, when the governor was away on vacation and the rumour of his health challenges filtered to town, some people were said to have informed the governor that his deputy was exploiting the interregnum to negotiate with some party leaders in the state to make him Akeredolu’s successor in case the governor’s medical challenges persisted.
This was said to be responsible for the governor to begin to handle some state matters while in the state house in Abuja.
The governor’s wife was also fingered in Agboola’s predicament as she was said to have cautioned her husband about his deputy who she was said to have described as too politically smart to be trusted.
One of the political appointees attached to the deputy governor was fired during the period for allegedly referring to the wife of the deputy governor as Acting First Lady when the governor was on medical trip.
It could not be ascertained that the governor had ever handed over to his deputy whenever he’s travelling out of the country full constitutional power to hold the forte while he’s away.
However, Governor Akeredolu has not even declared or notified his party if he would be interested in contesting for the seat in the 2020 poll.
When the deputy governor was not seen at Christmas Carol organised by the state government at the DOME at Alagbaka, Akure, some members were heard discussing the issue the deputy governor deliberately shunned the event because the governor has told him he would not use him in the next election.
But Daily Independent’s check revealed that the deputy governor has embarked on his annual vacation.
Nevertheless, the rumour that Agboola Ajayi might dump APC for PDP to execute his governorship ambition if it becomes clear that Akeredolu would trade him off, is still rife in town.
As things stand in the state at the moment, it is not clear yet if Governor Akeredolu would go for second term, especially now that he’s hale and hearty. (Daily Independent)
