The recent decision by the wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu to vie for a senate seat in Imo State seems to have heightened political atmosphere in Ondo state, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state warned governor Rotimi Akeredolu against using the state resources to finance her wife senatorial ambition.
The PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, said Mrs Akeredolu has shown her desire to run for Imo East Senatorial District in the 2023 election under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) alleging that Mrs Akeredolu will be sponsored by her husband using the state fund.
Peretei alleged that some of the Free School Shuttle buses bought by the immediate administration had been withdrawn from the road and taken to Imo state to oil Mrs Akeredolu campaign.
The party wondered why Mrs Akeredolu decided to contest in Imo state rather than his husband state of origin, saying other past governors’ wife who contested for senatorial seat did so in their husband state of origin.
The statement stated, “Betty’s senatorial aspiration has been clinically conceptualised immediately after Akeredolu was sworn in as governor.
“The first sign was that, some of the Free School Shuttle buses bought by the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko government for easy movement of school children were sighted in Owerri.
“Of the over 95 buses, not more than 20 are parked at the premises of the Ministry of Works at various levels of decay. The Ondo State Government has not told the people the whereabout of the remaining buses.
“If the government says it has no money to run the buses, one will expect to see the buses on ground. The missing buses may have been used to oil the ‘back to my roots’ project.”
The statement said further, “Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, ranks amongst wives in the corridor of power who know exactly what to do with the enormous influence and lush funds available to their husbands
“Mrs Betty Akeredolu is desirous of joining the league of wives of former governors in the Nigerian Senate.
“The first was Senator Zainab Kure, wife of former Governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure. Zainab was elected to represent Niger South Senatorial District in 2007 at the end of her husband’s second term as Governor.
“The other person is Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of APC leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a two term Governor of Lagos State. Senator Remi was elected to represent Lagos Central Senatorial District in 2011. She was re-elected in 2015 and 2019.
“While l wish Ada Owere the very best of luck in the 2023 Senatorial election, she must remember that, those former governors wives who contested senatorial elections did so, where their husbands reigned as governors.
“Akeredolu will be unable to do anything in the Imo contest apart from squandering our lean resources to service some politicians in Imo State who will never tell Betty the truth.”
It will be recalled that Mrs Akeredolu recently declared her political ambition to contest for Imo East Senatorial District of Imo State in the 2023 general election, under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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