H.E Agboola Ajayi, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, who relinquished his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had explained his intention to not resign from the present administration of the state under the leadership of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
The information was made public by his Chief Press Secretary, Tope Okeowo in a conversation with our Correspondent S’Teller.
Mr Ajayi had afterwards joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Ward 2, Apoi in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
We gathered there has been irreconcilable diffences between the Deputy Governor and his Governor for months over the coming governorship election in the state but that was widely denied until the recent incident.
On Saturday, the Deputy Governor was prevented from leaving the government house in Akure in an official vehicle by the state’s commissioner of police, Bolaji Salami.
Mr Salami said he recently discovered Mr Ajayi’s plan to defect from the APC to PDP, an action he said should render him unqualified for certain benefits such as police security.
In a video that later went viral, people have questioned whose authority the Commissioner of Police was acting on and why Nigerian politicians finds it difficult to remain civil in the face of disagreements.
In response to the CP who prevented the Deputy Governor from leaving the government house, Mr Ajayi argued that he ought to enjoy the perks of office as an incumbent Deputy governor of the state. He said he used his personal funds to buy the Toyota Hilux truck from which he was denied access.
Mr Akeredolu in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Segun Ajiboye, earlier on Sunday, said reports linking him to the incident were false.
He said he did not ask the commissioner of police to restrain his deputy from leaving the Government House.
Mr Okeowo noted that his boss was elected Deputy Governor on a joint ticket and would love to serve his people despite his defection.
Therefore, Mr. Agboola Ajayi would not resign, Okeowo said to our correspondent S’Teller.
“There is freedom of association and this is not the first time the deputy will leave his boss, tho they came on joint ticket.
“It happened during Obasanjo and Atiku’s time. The court ruled that there is freedom of association. It is a joint ticket and that was why the ‘deputy governor irregularities’ affected the APC candidate in Bayelsa. So, resigning from government is not in the radar,” Okeowo said.
When asked whether or not Mr Ajayi will pick the governorship form under the banner of PDP.
He stated;
“that cannot be ruled out but what matters is that first thing has been done which is defection. Every other thing will follow.
