The defection of the Ondo State deputy governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, appears to be heightening anxiety among leaders and aspirants of the party in the state.
Tribune Online gathered that all efforts of some national leaders of the party to pacify all the party’s aspirants to drop their ambition and step down for Ajayi to emerge as the party’s candidate never yielded any positive result.
It was gathered that all the governorship aspirants, especially those who have obtained nomination forms, refused to step down, insisting to go on a contest with Ajayi in the primary.
According to an aspirant who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was an agreement between the PDP National Working Committee and Ajayi to have Ajayi’s men to conduct the primary and ‘deliver the ticket for him after efforts to pacify all governorship aspirants to step down for him failed.
He said the leaders of the party and the NWC which will be led by its National Chairman, Uche Secondus will receive Ajayi to PDP today.
The aspirants said “It’s a welcome development that he is coming to our party, but one thing is clear, the NWC will have us to contend with if they accept his proposals on the primary committee and go-ahead to deliver him as they have plotted in Abuja.
“Here is a man who was in charge of the politics of the government after the governor delegated undeserved privileges to him. To us in the PDP, the deputy governor is a most treacherous politician in this state because he has remained the most powerful man in that position so we can’t trust him.
“How can he now come to our party and insist on running as the sole candidate to the extent of nominating the chairman and members of the primary committee. Or is it the reason he hired an aircraft for the NWC members that will come tomorrow to receive him. It’s the height of insults.
“The real game will start soon after he joins, let’s wait and see as events unfold because we are not fools in this party.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr Babatope Okeowo, has refuted that Ajayi has been adopted by the PDP NWC, saying the rumour is a lie from the pit of hell and did not reflect the minds of the leadership of the PDP.
Okeowo said Ajayi will not fall into cheap blackmail by agents of government trying to create enmities among members of the PDP.
He said “the attention of the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi has been drawn to a news item insinuating that he has been adopted as governorship candidate by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“The Deputy Governor who has just resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and picked the membership card of PDP said the PDP has not imposed a candidate on the party in Ondo State and the party is also not interested in the imposition of candidates for elections.
“The Deputy Governor said he will go to the primary with other qualified members of the party, who have shown interest in the governorship ticket of the party.
“As a democrat, Ajayi said he will not subscribe to any imposition of candidate and would not do anything to undermine the peaceful atmosphere that attracted him to the PDP.”
Okeowo appealed to PDP members to be wary of those spreading wicked rumours that can lead to the crisis in the party.
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