The Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo and former Deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, have continued to trade words over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial tickets for next year election.
Tofowomo accused Ajayi of planning to tinker and manipulating the delegates list for the senatorial primary election list in a desperate bid to secure the party’s ticket scheduled to hold in May
But Ajayi in a reaction, described the allegation as not only untrue, false, unfounded and said Tofowomo is already jittery of the imminent defeat staring him in the coming election.
The Director of Media and Publicity, Tofowomo Campaign Organisation, Mr. Olumide Akinrinlola, maintained that Ajayi has concluded arrangements with some others to tinker with the delegates’ list, saying Ajayi had confirmed this in some fora.
Akinrinlola in a statement signed by him on behalf of the Senator said Ajayi has been boasting of having the delegates in his pockets ahead of the senatorial primary election slated for May this year.
The statement read: “The attention of Tofowomo Campaign Organisation (TCO) has been drawn to a statement made by Agboola Ajayi where he boasted to have singlehandedly written and submitted the list of Adhoc delegates to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Organising Secretary ahead of the Senatorial primary election in May this year.
“Ajayi made this statement while he was boasting about his chances of winning the party’s primary during a political meeting with PDP executives at Fabiyi Hall in Okitipupa town on Saturday, March 26, 2022.
“He boasted at the meeting that he’s working in collaboration with retired Capt. Umar Bature, the National Organising Secretary of the PDP in Abuja to win the PDP Senatorial primary in Ondo South”
He quoted Ajayi to have said that; “I am happy to inform you all, officially, that I have listened and yielded to the aspirations and yearnings of the people of Ondo South Senatorial District to undertake this onerous task of service to humanity by offering myself to represent the district at the Senate in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
“With the support of Wadata, especially that of the party’s national organising secretary who already received from me the Adhoc delegates list for the Senatorial primary, in line with our agreement with the governors before returning to the PDP, I’m confident of winning the ticket of the party if you all support me this time”, he boasted at the meeting”
Akinrinlola however, said “While Tofowomo Campaign Organisation is not in doubt about the integrity of the party national organising Secretary, we wish to remind the governors and the national leaders of the PDP that Ajayi did a similar thing ahead of the PDP gubernatorial primary election in Ondo State, where he allegedly injected the delegates’ list with 101 fake names with just seven days to the shadow poll which almost tears the party apart.
“Ajayi who betrayed his boss and our party during the 2020 governorship election has started showing desperation to win the Ondo South senatorial ticket at all cost by manipulating the Adhoc delegate list.
“We, therefore, call on the National Chairman of our party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and the PDP state governors to call Ajayi to order over his alleged plan to doctor delegate list and destabilize the party in Ondo South.
Ajayi in his reaction signed by Media Adviser, Allen Sowore, said the former Deputy Governor never made such statement credited to him and described the allegation as not true.
Sowore said in the statement that “For the purpose of clarity and to disabue the minds of the unsuspecting members the general public, the former Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi never made such statement during the meeting held on Saturday 26th March 2022, in Fabiyi Hall, Okitipupa or anywhere else throughout his consultation tour of the South Senatorial District.
“Luckily, prominent leaders and members of our party, who can bear witness attended all the meetings held across the four local government areas of Ondo South District including the first meeting held on Friday 25th March, 2022, in the Idepe Town Hall, Okitipupa where the former Deputy Governor declared his interest to run for the South Senatorial District seat.
“We are not surprised that Senator Nicholas Tofowomo who’s already jittery of the imminent defeat staring him in the coming election can go this low to authorise his Media Director to spill this gibberish and unfounded allegation against the person of the former Deputy Governor of the state, member of the National Working Committee of our great party and most importantly a leading aspirant in South Senatorial District seat.
“Senator Nicholas Tofowomo should tell the people his achievements in the last three years; the justification for his reelection bid instead of this campaign of calumny he embarked on against the former Deputy Governor.
“The former Deputy Governor is focused and determined in his aspirations to rescue and liberate Ondo South Senatorial District from the jugular of this attention seeking misfit.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
[ICYMI] Lekki Shootings: Why We Lied About Our Presence — General Taiwo
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the killings at Lekki Toll Gate, on Saturday resumed viewing of the 24hrs footage of the October 20, 2020 shooting of #EndSARS protesters by personnel of the Nigerian Army…
ICYMI: How We Carried Out The 1993 Nigerian Airways Hijack —Ogunderu
On Monday, October 25, 1993, in the heat of June 12 annulment agitations, four Nigerian youngsters, Richard Ajibola Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi and Kenny Razak-Lawal, did the unthinkable! They hijacked an Abuja-bound aircraft, the Nigerian Airways airbus A310, and diverted it to Niger Republic. How did they so it? Excerpts…
Sahabi Danladi Mahuta, a community mobiliser and APC chieftain. Mahuta spoke to select journalists at the sidelines of an Islamic conference in Abuja recently. Excerpts…
and then