There’s visibly an ongoing disquiet in the camp of the embattled Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu over his adoption of the Action Alliance (AA) party to sponsor his candidates who lost out in the APC primaries in Ondo state.
It would be recalled that Akeredolu’s loyalists like Dr Tunji Abayomi and Dr Olatunji Adetoye running for Ondo North and Ondo South Senatorial districts respectively, and the incumbent lawmaker representing Akoko North East and West Federal Constituency, Hon Stephen Olemija, among others who lost out in the APC primaries have since moved to the AA to actualize their ambition, with the Governor, despite being the leader of the APC in the state, openly declaring support for the AA candidates.
But the Governor was quick to announce that despite supporting AA candidates, his camp will be working for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, a decision that has incurred the wrath of the National Chairman of the party who has issued stern warning to candidates of the party that Buhari is not the party’s adopted candidate.
National Chairman of the party, Ken Udeze, recently told journalists in Owerri that the party has already adopted candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its preferred candidate for the 2019 election under the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) arrangement.
Udeze warned that the party would not hesitate to sanction any of its candidate who fails to heed the party’s directives.
Akeredolu, according to reliable sources has become jittery in the last few days and has started romancing former councillors elected under the platform of the PDP who he sacked immediately after assuming office.
The Governor, it was said, has held several meetings with the sacked councillors hoping that they would use their grassroots connect to work for his AA candidates.
“That is why the Governor has not released names of Supervisory councillors since over two weeks that he announced Caretaker Chairmen for the 18 local government areas, he is hoping that if his talks with the sacked councillors materialises, he can re-absorb them into the system with promise that they work for his candidates in order to save him from the impending shame of losing out totally which may spell doom for him in 2020,” the source said.
With the Governor at a crossroad to choose between supporting Atiku the AA adopted candidate or Buhari of the APC he claims to belong to, it is however not clear if the sacked PDP councillors are ready to accept the offer of the Governor.
Adesola Ganiyu wrote from Akure.
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