Ondo 2024: No Vacancy In Govt House — Ayedatiwa Taunts Co-Aspirants

• You must be a joker — Oke replies governor

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa has taunted his co-aspirants that there is no vacancy in the Alagbaka Government House and those scheming to get him out of the way must seriously have a rethink.

Pointedly daring those seeking his disqualification from participating in the forthcoming governorship election primaries, Governor Ayedatiwa said issues being raised about his high school certificate were borne out of ignorance by some political jobbers within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State.

Going by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s released timetable of activities and dates for the off-cycle governorship polls in the country, the Ondo state election will take place on Saturday, 16th November 2024.

However, speaking on Friday after being screened as one of the APC governorship aspirants at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the Ondo Governor said he remains the aspirant to beat and there is concrete evidence to prove that all his certificates are in order.

According to him; “Screening is one of the exercises that must be done among the processes that the aspirants have to go through. Mine has just been done this morning and all documents that were submitted have to be verified and questions asked where some things were not too clear to the screening committee.

“Questions were asked and answered and at the end of the day, I have been cleared that there are no issues. Especially the issue that has to do with the certificate for which a petition was written, which has now been put to rest.”

He further stated thus; “My certificates are genuine and authentic. I think it is just a kind of mischief by some other aspirants who see me as the aspirant to beat trying to look for a way to discredit my person. But that has been verified and put to rest.”

Ayedatiwa Must Be Joking, There’s Vacancy – Oke

Interestingly, an immediate reply has come for Governor Ayedatiwa from one of the gubernatorial aspirants, Chief Olusola Oke (SAN) who engaged journalists after his screening, noting that the governor may have been daydreaming to assume that there is no vacancy in the Ondo State Government House.

The Senior Lawyer cum politician said; “It is an aphorism from all incumbent persons. I heard this one in Lagos when Ambode was there. Ambode said ‘No vacancy’, he had to leave when he needed to leave. It is a statement of wish and desire by the governor and it is a statement that is intended to undermine a democratic exercise.

“If we are going to primaries and the people will have to determine, how would anybody have the guts to say there is no vacancy? There is no vacancy between now and February next year, no doubt, but after February, his one-year term will be exhausted and then there will be a vacancy.”

Making a light joke of the situation, the former commissioner, who once represented Ondo State on the Governing Board of NDDC, said; “I don’t intend to take over from him before the expiration of his one year in office. So, the essence of this exercise is that there will be a vacancy after one one-year term and that he or somebody else will occupy the seat. Having regard to my wide contact with the people, I believe that I am succeeding him”.