The purported defection of the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the October 10 governorship election, appears to have suffered another set back as all the governorship aspirants of the party resisted an automatic ticket for Ajayi ahead of the primary of the party.
The deputy governor who was said to have completed all arrangements to formally defect to PDP this week was said to have secretly purchased the PDP governorship nomination form in readiness for the primary.
A member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) who confirmed to some journalists in Akure, that Ajayi decided to obtain the governorship form against an earlier arrangement to run as running mate to Eyitayo Jegede who is seen as one of the leading contenders for the ticket.
According to him, the first plan which was hatched some two weeks ago was revisited after some “national leaders saw the need to properly assess the popularity and political experience of both Ajayi and Jegede.”
He said this arrangement was put forward by the leaders of the party with a view to present the best combination to the table and oust the APC government in the state.
He said “Honestly, we at the national level want the best for the party and that is what we have been working day and night to do as far as the Ondo State governorship election is concerned.
“We are on the verge of receiving the deputy governor into our party and he is no doubt, a big fish that will give the APC a good fight in the forthcoming election. One clear message we have been giving to all aspirants is that none of them will have anything to share is zero.
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“So, initially when the deputy governor met some of us, he insisted that he was not desperate to be Governor outburst he just wanted the incumbent out; and out informal conclusion was that he could pair as running mate with our 2016 candidate, that is, Jegede and he had no objection to that.
“But from what we have seen on the ground in the last one week, the deputy governor seems to have a more formidable structure than Jegede and we have opened discussions on how Ajayi will be candidate while Jegede runs as his deputy with a caveat that Agboola will run for only one term and hand over to Jegede.
“We have been assessing their strengths, popularity and experience but the issue we have been confronted with is the fact that the deputy governor seems to have sealed another deal with some APC without our knowledge that after his victory at the poll, he would return to the APC.
“He is already discussing at top levels in this regard in order to have some leverage of security. But we are yet to confirm. So we are already talking to Jegede to cede the ticket to Ajayi by stepping down; he would then be picked as running mate to Ajayi.”
Meanwhile, a PDP political pressure group, the Ondo Renaissance Movement(ORM) has kicked against the decision of the national leadership of the party to cede the governorship ticket to the southern senatorial district with the hope of presenting Ajayi as its candidate.
The group in a statement issued in Akure the state capital on Sunday, and signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Joshua Adesuyi Falade, who alleged that the National Working Committee of the PDP fell for financial inducement by Ajayi.
“We are aware of the all behind the scene moves by the deputy governor, as he had been trying to get our party ticket. The latest is that he took the sum of N200m to bribe the NWC of our party to cede the ticket to the south and then pick him as a candidate with Eyitayo Jegede as his deputy governorship candidate.
“This one will fail because those of us who suffered for the party since 2011 and even before then are not fools. If that happens, we shall mobilise our teeming supporters across the state to move to the APC and work for whoever is the candidate of the party.
But while denying the allegations, the National Deputy Chairman of the party, and another leading aspirant of the party, Dr Eddy Olafeso, said Ajayi is not a member of PDP and has not purchased the governorship form for the next election.
Olafeso queried that “Do you collect or obtain form when you’re not a member of the party?”
According to him, “He is still not a member of our party and has not collected any form and I can confirm to you that as of today only six people have collected the PDP governorship form for the election”
He said the aspirants include Godday Erewa, Banji Okunomo, Bode Ayorinde, Eyitayo Jegede, Eddy Olafeso and Oba Akingboye.
“In the tradition of PDP, it is only the delegates who determine who become their governor. You can check the interview of our National Chairman of yesterday, and he has already established that while we encourage people to join us, due process is constantly followed whatever you want to become in the party.
“The NWC has not taken any decision, people can participate but nobody is stepping down for anybody. The decision of who becomes governor is taken by the people.”
Ajayi’s relationship with governor Rotimi Akeredolu became irredeemable following an unresolved difference between the two leaders.
The State Caretaker Chairman, of the PDP, Chief Clement Faboyede, however, said the PDP governorship primary will be rancour-free.
He said “for those waiting for the PDP aspirants to fight, they had better not waste their energy because, in the end, they would be disappointed.
“We are all fully resolved, to ensure equal opportunities for all aspirants and free fair primaries for everyone contesting for the gubernatorial seats and state offices.
“You have my full assurances that we will conduct free, fair, open and transparent elections because we owe this state and our people a duty to show impartial leadership; not just for today but for the future and for those coming behind us.”
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