Akeredolu chides Boroffice, Alasoadura over comment on National Assembly leadership

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has taken a swipe at the Senate Deputy majority leader, Prof. Ajayi Borrofice and former Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Tayo Alasoadura, for accusing him of not supporting the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the last election.

Akeredolu who categorically stated that he was instrumental to the victory of Tinubu and the party in Ondo state, maintained that his performance as the Chief Servant of the state was a deciding factor in the last Presidential and other elections held in the state.

The governor, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale described Borrofice and Alasoadura as bitter adversaries, saying his clear choice and support for the President-elect, was well documented.

Akeredolu who was reacting to a statement jointly signed by Borrofice and Alasoadura who accused him of not supporting Tinubu at the last election, said the people acted on their conviction which was informed by the performance of his administration.

The two APC chieftains in the state attacked Akeredolu over his position, rejecting the zoning formula, describing the governor’s outburst as an unwarranted and publicly documented outburst

The duo, however, disassociated themselves from the position of Governor Akeredolu on the leadership zoning of the 10th National Assembly but Akeredolu maintained that his clear choice and support for Tinubu was well documented.

The statement, titled “Hustling Till Twilight: A Sad Tale of Unrepentant Misanthropes” reads:” The Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, has left no one in doubt that he will always challenge any act which suggests injustice or impropriety from any quarters. He has never been apologetic for standing by the people when others try to be politically correct.

“He has been a strong party man who has never failed to stand against all partisans of injustice. It is not a recompense for political grandstanding that the people of Ondo, South West and indeed the entire South, in general, consider him the conscience of the country. He is not the type to play to the gallery in order to please any fleeting and parochial interests.

“The man Aketi does not need any introduction in Nigeria at present. His name is synonymous with forthrightness and courage, not treachery. He has been a relentless advocate for the downtrodden. He is not known for prevarication or equivocation. He fought the FG for the establishment of the Regional Security outfit codenamed AMOTEKUN to combat the menace of insecurity.

“He has been speaking against any policies of this government, perceived inimical to the well-being of the people. He joined some other Governors to sue the Federal Government on the CBN currency confiscation policy, only recently. Prof Boroffice did not have any opinion while Chief Alasoadura must have jubilated in the mistaken belief that the evil design would affect the chances of the President-Elect. They both worked, assiduously, for the PDP during the last general elections.

“Aketi had insisted on a power shift to the South. He also campaigned, vigorously, for the election of the President-Elect and other candidates of his party. It is on record that he was the only one who spoke out, vehemently, against the treacherous selection of Senator Ahmed Lawan, the current Senate President, as the so-called “Consensus Candidate”, during the last presidential primary of the APC by the same heavily tainted leadership.

“Workers of iniquity, mass murderers, visited the Catholic church at Owo the following morning. Not a few people believed the message was meant for Aketi and the hardliners. He remained undaunted. Who did the duo support at that time? What was their position at the primary? The Governor is not known to hide behind a finger. He says it as it is.

“His principled stance on Southern presidency is well publicized. His support for the candidate who emerged as the winner is supported by verifiable evidence. His performance as the Chief Servant of the people was a deciding factor in the last election. The people of Ondo State have always acted on conviction.

“His clear choice and support for the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was well documented. Any honest person was convinced of his role. Chief Tayo Alasoadura worked against the APC during the last elections.

“I challenge him to deny that his Personal Assistant, one Ola Baba, and Tade, his C.S.O, and Asunmo, his main guy in Ward 5, did not mobilise PDP supporters to Odudu-Ishinigbo-Igoba, to vote against the candidates of the APC in all elections.

“I have living witnesses. The timely intervention of security operatives ensured that the seven buses and two Toyota Sienna vehicles, loaded with imported mercenaries, brought by those led by Ola Baba and Asunmo, were not destroyed by the aggrieved voters of Iju Ita-Ogbolu. I challenge him to deny this statement. My office prevented a very serious crisis between the supporters of the APC and the miscreants sponsored by Chief Tayo Alasoadura. I dare him to deny this statement. We will present more facts.

“Professor Ajayi Boroffice has been a peripatetic political hustler who left the university system for a long period until he was forced to resign from the Lagos State University by the late Vice Chancellor, Prof Lateef Hussain. He has been in the Senate for a period well above a decade. He is, currently, of negligible political relevance in the whole of Akokoland.

“His people are livid with anger for the wasted opportunities and uncommon greed displayed by him. He worked, openly, for the opposition party during the last elections. His anti-party activities are legendary.

“Deliberative governance entails wide consultations, engagements, concessions and agreements. No one will be permitted to elevate hypocrisy and sycophancy to the status of an enviable art.

“The President-Elect will be advised but will also be engaged, vigorously, on matters of optimum performance and collective interests by the true representatives of the people of this country. Any politician anxious about losing patronage in the next dispensation should start looking for other means of sustenance.”

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

May Nigeria never witness another Buhari’s govt — Primate Ayodele

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has said President Muhammadu Buhari-led Government performed…

‘IDAN’: All you need to know about trending Nigerian street slang 

The hashtag ‘Idan’ is the latest Nigerian street slang that has been trending on social media for…

Murphy Afolabi: 7 things you probably don’t know about late Nollywood actor

Nigerian sensational actor and filmmaker, Murphy Afolabi, reportedly died on Sunday, barely 24 hours after…

WEEK BRIEF: 10th NASS’ power tussle, Seun Kuti’s assault on police… other top news

THE ongoing tussle for the principal office positions of the 10th National Assembly by the top members All Progressives Congress (APC) has…

SPOTLIGHT: Dennis Bergkamp, ‘non-flying Dutchman’ blessed with unrivalled skill, technique

Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp, born on May 10, 1969, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is widely regarded as one of the…

Ph.D graduation of a Hausa-Yoruba Nigerian in America

Last Saturday, I attended the PhD graduation of a treasured mentee of mine by the name of Abdulbasit Kassim at Rice University in…