Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi on Sunday denied the ongoing speculation that he had concluded all arrangements to dump the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the next year governorship election.
Agboola while reacting to the recent media report in a statement issued and signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Babatope Okeowo, dismissed the rumours, describing it as the handiwork of detractors.
Agboola traced the rumour to the mischief-makers and job seekers who are bent on creating confusion in Ondo state, with the goal to weaken the solid followership base of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, saying “these funny characters are well known within the political circle in the Ondo State.”
He, however, said the rumours were not only false but to drag him into the murky water of Ondo state politics and targeted to cause disaffection between him and his boss, while he assured that his loyalty remained intact and not contemplating to dump APC for PDP or any other party.
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Agboola specifically stated that “this is to say emphatically that Hon Agboola Ajayi has no intention to contest against his boss.”
The statement stated that “the attention of the deputy governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi has been drawn to a sponsored story that he wants to dump the All Progressives Congress(APC) for the rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in order to contest the next year’s governorship election.
“The deputy governor is unperturbed by this sponsored story and the ones before it as these are the handiwork of attention and job seekers. These funny characters are well known within the political circle in the Ondo State.
“This is to say that this is a blatant falsehood as Hon Agboola Ajayi remains a bonafide member of the APC and has no plan to dump the party for any rival political party. There is no place where the Deputy Governor has met with stalwarts of the PDP not to talk of dividing their party.”
The statement read further that “the deputy governor also uses the medium to apologise to Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State whose name was dragged into the murky water of Ondo State politics as being the sponsor of the alleged plan of Hon Agboola Ajayi to contest on the PDP’s platform in Ondo State.
“Hon Agboola Ajayi also remains as the deputy governor and loyal to his boss, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN. He was chosen as the deputy governor at the benevolence of his boss, Governor Akeredolu.
“We want to say that we know that the plan of the sponsors of the story is to cause a serious rift between Governor Akeredolu and his Deputy for their selfish reasons.
“It must be noted that the Hon Agboola Ajayi is a seasoned politician who knows the limitation of his office as the Deputy Governor. He is not ready in anyway to rock the boat of the progress of this administration.
“This is another grand plan by the busybodies and professional blackmailers to create division within the ranks of the ruling APC in Ondo State in order to create advantage which does not exist anywhere”
He also stated that “Hon Agboola Ajayi has no problem with his boss as the governor who was elected as the governor of Ondo State and he is discharging those responsibilities to the best of his ability.
“The developments in all strata are feasible for the blind to see and it is well appreciated by the people of Ondo State. Let the busybodies and professional blackmailers find another job to do. The media should also not give space to all these noisemakers.
“The seat of the deputy governor is an exalted seat, and let those who are interested in becoming the Deputy in the next dispensation wait till when Arakunrin Akeredolu is ready to pick who will run with him in the next election for the further development of Ondo State.
“These people must know that Hon Agboola Ajayi is not a desperate politician. It is God that gives position at his appointed time.
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