More facts have emerged on how the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande foiled the plot of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi to trauncate the relection project of his boss, Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
Before his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) few weeks ago, Ajayi was a trusted ally of Akeredolu, who dictated and controlled activities in the political camp of his boss.
In those days, rather than appearing in person, Akeredolu preferred to send his deputy governor to represent him in any political meetings organised by the national leaders of the party with the mind that they are both on the same page.
Sources revealed that crisis of confidence broke out between the duo when it was revealed to Akeredolu how Ajayi was allegedly creating a stumbling blocks for his boss in order not to get the APC return ticket.
An APC chieftain in the State, who spoke in confidence with our reporter in the State, narrated how the embattled Deputy Governor allegedly orchestrated the suspension of Akeredolu from the party.
It will be recalled that Akeredolu, former governors of Ogun and Imo states, Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha respectively, were suspended by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led’s National Working Committee (NWC), shortly after the 2019 general elections for indulging in anti-party activities.
Akeredolu was particularly accused of causing the poor show of the party during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in his state.
According to the source, “unknown to Akeredolu, Ajayi had seized the opportunity of this crack between Akeredolu and the party national leaders as a way of easing his boss from the party, while he would be seen as the only alternative that can project the APC continuity vision in the state.
“It was Asiwaju Tinubu, Akande and some leaders of the party, who quickly hinted Akeredolu about the plot of Ajayi to oust the governor.
“During that elections’ period, some inner caucus of the governor advised him to allow Ajayi to lead the negotiations between the NWC and his camp. Rather than doing his boss bidding, Ajayi would go to Abuja to instigate the party leaders against his boss and come home to tell them that all his well.
“For instance, after Akeredolu openly expressed his grievances against Oshiomhole for denying his candidates from participating in the November 2018 senatorial primaries, the governor called a political meeting that was only attended by six leaders including the deputy.
“At that meeting, Akeredolu said he would accept the decision of the NWC but Ajayi advised him that they would only be setting a trap for their re-election in 2020, if their group allowed Senator Ajayi Borofice, who is representing the northern senatorial district and Senator Yele Omogunwa (South) return to the national Assembly.
“He told them in the meeting that both Borofice and Omogunwa were already warming up for the 2020 governorship election. It was then he convinced the governor on the need to sponsor candidates in another party (AA) against the APC candidates.
“To our amazement, Ajayi was the first person to leak this secret out to our political opponents. He travelled to Abuja to meet Oshiomhole, who was then the National Chairman and told him that he warned his boss against the idea of sponsoring candidates in another party but he was hellbent.
“He incorporated the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon Ifedayo Abegunde (Abena), who resigned this Monday into that coup plot with a promise to make him Deputy Governor and make more money in case they successfully oust Akeredolu from power.
“He reached out to the former Deputy Governor of the State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, who is also a leader of the party to fully join a group of aggrieved APC members under the umbrella of Unity Forum and he told him to begin to throw missiles on Akeredolu’s government.
“Baba Olanusi bought into the idea because he was already looking for every means to nail Akeredolu. You would remember that former governor Olusegun Mimiko instigated Olanusi’s impeachment in 2015, after he dumped PDP for APC.
“He was lucky, a state high court dismissed his impeachment shortly after Akeredolu came on board in 2017. The septuagenarian demanded N400m as his entitlement but Akeredolu only paid him N130m. The governor said that was the only money the former deputy governor was entitled to. Since then, two them are at daggers drawn.
“As Akeredolu was seeking solutions to his political predicament, due to his temperament, he was advised to send Ajayi to meet Tinubu in Lagos State. Rather than Ajayi to do his boss bidding, he marketed him as alternative to Akeredolu.
“He wanted to capitalize on the lingering 2016 APC governorship primary crisis between Asiwaju Tinubu and Akeredolu with the intention that Tinubu would accept him wholeheartedly and used him as a tool to take his own pound of flesh.
“Baba Akande was hinted about the meeting and he immediately called Tinubu and warned him against encouraging a treacherous deputy governor. He told Asiwaju that it’s better to wine and dine with someone like Akeredolu who will openly fight you than keeping someone like Ajayi, who was secretly instigating people against his boss.
“It was that period that the two leaders agreed to look for ways to nip the crisis in the party in the bud and that was whu Tinubu, Akande, Baba Segun Osoba flew into the state sometimes July 2019, to hold a stakeholders’ meeting at a popular hotel in Ijapo, Akure.
“When Ajayi got to know about the meeting, he reached out to Boroffice, who is the leader of the Unity Forum and he poisoned the senator’s mind that Tinubu and Akande have tactically endorsed Akeredolu for second term and that the purpose of the meeting was to ambush other leaders of the party in the state into Akeredolu’s reelection’s project.
“That was why Boroffice refused to show up and ensured none of the leaders from his camp, who attended the meeting accepted the resolutions.
“In order to give reason why he was unable to attend the Akure political meeting, the senator, who is the Deputy Majority leader in the Senate, fixed a caucus meeting of south west senators in his residence in Abuja for that day”.
