By Gideon Njoku
Unless the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, wins the October 10 Governorship election, one of the first uncomfortable gifts he will receive is a legal suit against him by Mr Babajide Akeredolu, a son of the incumbent Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
He says he would sue Ajayi, the Governorship candidate of the ZLP, as soon as he loses his immunity for an alleged malicious libel against him.
Babajide says Ajayi deliberately called to question his character by maliciously alleging that he, Babajide, got a N430m consulting contract from the Ondo State Government.
Ajayi made the claim during the flag-off of his campaign rally in Ore.
But Babajide, in a strongly worded press statement he personally signed, challenged Ajayi to prove his case. He also, asked Ajayi to strip himself of his immunity and face him in court.
Denying any such consultancy contract, he accused Ajayi of being a list from the pit of hell, and insisted that his allegation was made to ridicule him.
Following is the text of Babajide’s statement:
“My attention has been drawn to the spurious allegations made against me by Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the Gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) during his flag off campaign rally on the 19th of September, 2020 at Ore in Odigbo local government area.
“This deliberate, malicious and mendacious statement has been making the rounds online and on social media platforms.
“The unsubstantiated claim and accusation, designed to mislead the general public and calculated to malign my person for clear political gain, is not only wicked, treacherous and false but clearly most defamatory.
“The allegation, which has been making the round without a face to it has been refuted by the state government when it first surfaced. While I find it imperative to state unambiguously that I do not hold any political office, it is evil and most wicked to make such allegation that exist mainly in the minds of Hon. Agboola, the ZLP candidate and his ilk against me.
“I state with emphasis that it is the greatest disrespect and an intentional distortion of facts for the said Gubernatorial candidate of the ZLP to state inter alia that I siphoned Four hundred and thirty-three million naira of Ondo State’s funds under the disguise of consultancy fees. This allegation which I deny, can only come from someone so lowly and frivolous and unexpected of anyone who holds the high office of a Deputy Governor.
“The statement by Hon. Agboola Ajayi was calculated to disparage my person and credibility and it has caused severe damage to my reputation and professional interests.
“In light of the above, I have instructed my Lawyers to institute legal action against Hon. Agboola Ajayi to claim full damages for the harm the false and malicious statement he made has done to my reputation . He must prove this allegation in the court of law.
“If there is any modicum of honesty in the ZLP candidate, I expect that he shows clear willingness to do the honourable thing by stripping himself of his immunity and accept the court process and prove his claims in court of Law.”
The Ondo State Governorship election holds on October 10. And even though, at least, 14 political parties will participate in the exercise, all eyes are on the candidates of the APC, PDP and the ZLP candidates – Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, Jegede Eyitayo, SAN, and Ajayi.
Ajayi, who is the incumbent Deputy Governor, had defected from the APC to the PDP without resigning from his office as the Deputy Governor.
He was confident of picking the PDP ticket. But when he was defeated by Eyitayo, he defected to the ZLP and became their candidate.
An attempt to impeach him from office, failed. But the immorality of his continous stay in office, is not lost on most people.
