By Ayodele Oni, Akure
The immediate past Secretary to Ondo State government, Mr Ifedayo Abegunde has sensationally revealed how he and other unnamed people, in connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Akure, fixed results of the Ondo Governorship Election in 2016, and announced Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as winner in 2016.
He said that the Governor was defeated by the candidate of the PDP, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, but that some of them went to INEC office, and perfected it in favour of Akeredolu.
He insisted that but for what they did, Akeredolu wouldn’t have been Governor.
His verdict: Akeredolu would lose the oncoming governorship election.
This revelation was one of the highlights of an interview Adegunbe granted to an online Yoruba speaking television on why he resigned from office.
In a terse statement on Monday, he had resigned as the SSG, citing personal reasons.
But a couple of hours later, he opened up on why he quit.
He disclosed that he was suprised that after he helped him to office, the governor marginalised him, and refused to fund his office, even though he, the Governor, usually claimed that he was funding his office to the tune of Five million Naira per month. “It is not true”, he declared, insisting that the October governorship election will be tough for Akeredolu to win.
“We made it possible for Aketi to become governor in 2016; we were the pillars behind him and we will not support him again. He will lose this time around”
Political observers, especially, the Governor’s supporters in the state have expressed worry over the unending feud within the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) and the inability of Governor Akeredolu to unite the warring factions.
One of the feuding factions is led by the former deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, who dumped the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) few days to the 2016 election, and joined the APC.
Among aspirants that are expected to fight for the APC ticket during the Party’s primary scheduled to hold this month are Segun Abraham, the runner up during the 2016 exercise, and Olusola Oke, SAN, who contested the governorship on the ticket of Alliance for Democracy, (AD) and returned to the APC after he lost
Oke is reported to be enjoying the support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of the party whose relationship with the Governor is, allegedly, not too smooth.
Tinubu and the former Caretaker Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, as well as Ekiti state Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had made several fence- mending visits to Akure this year, all in an attempt to resolve the internal crisis rocking the ruling party. None has worked.
The recent dumping of the APC by the deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, who is a contending force in the Southern senatorial district of the state should, equally, be worrisome for the APC.
The PDP has been having an upper hand in the politics of the area since 1999.
In his home base, Owo, the governor is facing two challengers, and the entire northern senatorial district which seem to be under the grip of Alhaji Olanusi.
But the many supporters of the Governor, who has a large following amongst women and youths, are not losing sleep. They say the Governor is a good market which sells itself. They say they expected the resignations of the SSG and DG Agboola Ajayi, who had earlier resigned from the APC, without resigning from office as the DG.
“We are ready. By the grace of God, Aketi will win the primaries, and go ahead to win main election.”
Since the ex-SSG’s allegation on how Akeredolu won in 2016, nobody has publicly responded to him. Not even INEC.
