Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has criticized the Senate Deputy Majority Leader and a former Minister, accusing them of being bitter.
OsunDaily News reports that the Senate’s Deputy Majority Leader, Professor Ajayi Borrofice, and former Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, had accused the governor of not supporting Bola Tinubu at the last presidential election.
Reacting in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, Akeredolu dismissed the allegations that he worked against the emergence of the President-elect.
He said his performance as the Chief Servant of the state was a deciding factor in the last general elections, adding that his clear choice and support for Tinubu was well documented.
While describing Borrofice and Alasoadura as bitter adversaries, the governor said he had left no one in doubt that he would constantly challenge any act which suggests injustice or impropriety from any quarters.
The statement reads: “He has been a strong party man who has never failed to stand against all partisans of injustice. It is not a recompense for political grandstanding that the people of Ondo, South West, and indeed the entire South, in general, consider him the conscience of the country. He is not the type to play to the gallery to please any fleeting and parochial interests.
“The man Aketi does not need any introduction in Nigeria at present. His name is synonymous with forthrightness and courage, not treachery. He has been a relentless advocate for the downtrodden. He is not known for prevarication or equivocation. He fought the FG for the establishment of the Regional Security outfit codenamed Amotekun to combat the menace of insecurity.
“He has been speaking against any policies of this government, perceived inimical to the well-being of the people.
“Aketi had insisted on a power shift to the South. He also campaigned, vigorously, for the election of the President-elect and other candidates of his party. It is on record that he was the only one who spoke out, vehemently, against the treacherous selection of Senator Ahmed Lawan, the current Senate President, as the so-called Consensus Candidate, during the last presidential primary of the APC by the same heavily tainted leadership.
“His principled stance on Southern presidency is well publicized. His support for the candidate who emerged as the winner is supported by verifiable evidence. His performance as the Chief Servant of the people was a deciding factor in the last election. The people of Ondo State have always acted on conviction.
“His clear choice and support for the President-elect, Asiwaju Tinubu, was well documented. Any honest person was convinced of his role.
“The President-elect will be advised but will also be engaged, vigorously, on matters of optimum performance and collective interests by the true representatives of the people of this country. Any politician anxious about losing patronage in the next dispensation should start looking for other means of sustenance.”
