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…Serious violence would ‘ve erupted had I won PDP governorship primary

…PDP state exco biased, compromised

By Dayo Johnson Akure

THE governorship election in Ondo state will hold in less than 50 days. The defection of the incumbent deputy governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi from the All Progressive Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party and lately to Zenith Labour Party within the space of two months has altered political calculations in the state.

With the emergence of the Zenith Labour Party, the election has turned out to be a three-horse race. In this interview, Ajayi spoke on a number of issues ahead the election.

Excerpts:

What informed your decision to defect from the party on which platform you became the deputy governor of the state?

One of the greatest advantages of democracy is that it provides alternative platforms for individual aspirations. In the last three and half years, Governor Akeredolu, SAN has personalised this administration. I’m not a political neophyte.

The office of the Deputy Governor is an establishment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), section 186, specifically. Section 187 explains it to the effect that there can’t be a Governor without a Deputy. Then, section 193(2) mandates the governor to hold regular meetings with his Deputy. The point I’m trying to make here is that, the office of the state Deputy Governor doesn’t exist at the mercy of the governor. So, when the governor became a totalitarian, I have to move on with my life.

There were arguments that you ought to have tendered your resignation as the deputy governor when you resigned from the party few months ago.

I was not elected as Deputy Governor by my party alone. I was popularly elected by the people of Ondo State. The people who gave me this mandate have not asked me to resign. Those who are asking me to resign are the few politicians who are just being mischievous. They’re crying more than the bereaved. Those who elected me are saying that I should hold the fort.

It seems the move by the state House of Assembly members to impeach you has hit the rocks

The truth is that the impeachment plot was ill motivated and hurriedly planned. I’m not really surprised that it hit the brick wall. It was dead on arrival. You can’t impeach the Deputy Governor simply because he exercised his fundamental human right of freedom of assembly and association. I have not committed any impeachable offence. All the impeachment processes of Governors and Deputies carried out in Nigeria since 1999, have been overturned by the courts. Why should we go that low?

While the lawmakers were loyal to the state, the Chief Judge has equally proved that the judiciary is the last hope of the people.

Will it be right to conclude that your cross carpeting from APC to PDP and now to ZLP within two months is a sign of your desperation to become governor?

Definitely no. We are moving with the people. In democracy, people are the epicenter, at every time I have listened to the voice of the people of Ondo State. Don’t forget, even in 2016, I had to move in accordance with the command of the people.

Why did you leave the PDP after you lost the party’s governorship primary?

The national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) assured me of free, fair and credible primary election, but the members of state executive committee were hostile, biased and unbelievably compromised.

In the interest of peace and harmony we allowed things to go their way but that shouldn’t deter us from expressing our democratic freedom of association. We have to move on. If the result had gone our own way there would have been serious violence and crisis. I have always said that my ambition doesn’t worth the blood of anybody. So, I moved on with the people.

What are you insinuating? A betrayal?

I can tell you confidently that PDP has missed it. PDP missed the opportunity to produce the next Governor of Ondo State and it’s good for us. Now, with the unfolding events we have been vindicated. Have you seen any serious political activities in the party since I left?

Have you heard anything on the role of opposition being played by the party? I wouldn’t call it betrayal but a sabotage. The chance of the party to win the next governorship election was obviously sabotaged and compromised. I wish the national leadership can investigate the romance between the state executive committee and the Chief Executive of the state.

You had promised not to leave the PDP even if you lost the governorship primary, why the sudden change?

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. I’m a politician and my ultimate goal is to win election. Ondo PDP seems more interested in raising candidate every election cycle than winning. I have a dream to lead Ondo State out of its present predicament and that is very pertinent.

It was in the overriding interest of the people that I left. I listened to the voice of the people and that is what is paramount.

Why have you settled for ZLP? Was it because of the influence and political factor of the national leader and former governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko?

The present people’s movement in Ondo State is not necessarily about one party. It’s not about Dr Olusegun Mimiko who is our leader today in the state. It is about the struggle to break free from the jugular of the kleptomaniac and clannish government of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. The people of Ondo State, particularly critical stakeholders have all jettisoned their individual differences to join hands together and liberate the state. We must save our dear state from the ruin.

It has been said that the October 10 governorship contest is going to be between you and your former boss while the PDP is just an onlooker

Yes. This election is between two contestants, my humble self and the governor. It is an opportunity for the people to take a decision. The people must decide whether to continue with the regime of exorbitant tuition fees or affordable tertiary education. The people must decide whether to continue with the regime of capital flight or change to focus on an arrangement that will empower our people. People must choose between affordable health care delivery and commercialized health services. People of Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas must decide whether to continue with a regime that has hijacked the people’s resources or sign a new dawn where the resources of the people will be applied to provide the basic amenities.

Why did you pick your running mate from the Central senatorial district instead of the North to divide the votes of the incumbent governor?

The unwritten political tradition in the state is that whenever the southern senatorial district is the governor, his deputy would be from the central. Dr Olusegun Agagu and Oluwateru is a classic example. But what is more important is that no part of the state will be neglected.

You are contesting with two gladiators, your former boss and a governorship candidate of same PDP in 2016. Yet you’re so confident that you’re going to win. What are your chances?No incumbent had won election before in Ondo State, it was only Dr Olusegun Mimiko who enjoyed that uncommon grace. The electorate in Ondo State are highly educated.

In the 2019 general election, the governor lost two senatorial districts. He lost the presidential election. The chairman of the party is from Idanre local government, that was where SDP won the National Assembly election. The game is up for the incumbent and you can take this to the bank.

What exactly went wrong between you and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu?.

Governor Akeredolu allowed members of his family to interfere too much in the running of government. His wife and children saw anyone who insisted on constitutional roles in governance as an obstacle. It became so difficult for me to cope under such nepotic arrangement. So, if you ask me specifically that turning point, I will say it was at that moment when N4.3 billion was kept away from the people.

That particular point that I realized that he had no plans for the oil producing local government areas. The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) was established by the Ondo State Law 2003, to administer 40% of the 13% oil derivation accruing to the state.

We earn an average of N1 billion to N1.5 billion monthly from oil derivation. Invariably, nothing less than N25 billion would have accrued to OSOPADEC as a Commission to be exclusively applied to development of that area.

But I can tell you today that there’s no single project to show for it. I left him the moment he decided to appoint his 29-year-old son who just finished the mandatory one year National Youth Service as secretary of COVID-19 fund raising committee; that moment that he extended the tenure of the Head of Service after attaining the mandatory retirement age.

It was reported that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu trusted you with the political architecture of the state for years but you used it to expand your political frontiers in order to unseat him

That’s not correct. I’m a seasoned politician and there’s no active politician in Ondo State that I don’t know. I have more political experience than him, I’m a lawyer, I have held positions in both the legislature and executive. I started from the ward level, state and federal. On many occasions, I had to be called upon to resolve political puzzles which Mr Governor couldn’t handle.

Candidly, what’s your assessment of the APC, the platform that gave you the position of deputy governor for over three years?

(Laugh)…Let the people judge us.

Vanguard

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