The crisis between the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi and his boss, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday took another dimension as all the aides and political appointees attached to Ajayi have been sacked by the State Government.
The aides affected include; Olomu Bayo, Special Assistant, Special Duties; Olawale Abolade Mukaila, Special Assistant on Photography; Babatope Okeowo, Chief Press Secretary; Samuel Ogunmusi, Personal Assistant; Omotunmise Tokunbo, Special Assistant to the wife of the Deputy Governor and Erifeyiwa Shola Akinnugba, Photographer attached to the Wife of the Deputy Governor.
The affected aides of the embattled Deputy Governor, according to Governor Oluwatotimi Akeredolu in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, are to submit all Government’s property in their possession to the Chief of Staff to the State Governor.
Recall that Akeredolu had earlier announced the sacking of Allen Sowore, Special Assistant on New Media to the Deputy Governor.
BusinessDay observed that the new twist is not unconnected with the defection of the Deputy Governor from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to run against his boss in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of October 10, 2020 Governorship poll in Ondo state.
Meanehile, Ajayi maintains that he remains the Deputy Governor of the State after his official resignation from the APC, saying the mandate to govern the State alongside Governor Akeredolu was jointly given to them by electorate and the electorate the political force that can remove him and the Governor.
As of the time of filing this report, there were strong indication in Akure, the State Capital that some lawmaker that are loyal to Governor Akeredolu might have started manoeuvring and planning to impeach Ajayi as Deputy Governor.
Whereas, the embattled Deputy Governor said in Akure on Tuesday that all the sacked aides had been re-appointed as his personal aides and were hereby advised to return all Government’s properties in their possession to the appropriate quarters within 24 hours.
Ajayi, in a statement made available to journalists by one of his personal aides, Babatope Okeowo, said that the new appointment is with immediate effect.
“We also wish to inform the people of Ondo State and the general public that the deputy governor would speak about all contending issues at the appropriate time,” he said.
