2027: Tinubu support group in Ondo raises alarm over alleged victimisation

Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, Smart Omodunbi, has dismissed the move by elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to broker peace between the governor and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, stressing that there is no rift between the duo as being speculated.

Smart, who disclosed that the governor and the minister enjoy a cordial relationship, emphasised that there is no feud to settle, as well as no quarrel strong enough to warrant the mediation of the elders.

The governor’s aide added that his boss does not have time for a petty fight with a minister when, according to him, both men are busy tackling the serious business of governance.

It would be recalled that elders of the party, under the auspices of the Ondo Mandate Elders Forum, yesterday, met in Akure, the state capital, to intervene in the growing tension between Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo.

With the meeting held at the residence of the Forum’s leader, the former Commissioner for Works, Erastus Akeju, stated that the duo would be summoned for dialogue, stating that the state cannot afford an endless political crisis.

According to the convener of the meeting, Ademola Ijabiyi, the intervention became imperative, stressing that the elders could no longer fold their arms while political rifts fester in the state.

MEANWHILE, a support group for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election, the Grassroot Movement for Tinubu (GMT) in Ondo State, has raised concerns over what it described as alleged victimisation of its members.

In a statement signed by its Director of Media, Oyewamide Ojo, the group said it was disturbed by a circulating voice message purportedly relaying discussions from a meeting said to have involved the state governor, council chairmen, and top officials.

According to Ojo, the message alleged that GMT members could face removal from government positions.  He described the claims as troubling, insisting that GMT’s sole mandate is to promote President Tinubu’s achievements through programmes, such as free medical outreaches and upcoming sports initiatives across Ondo’s senatorial districts.

Ojo stressed that the group had no involvement in matters relating to local council funds and maintained that supporting Tinubu should not be misinterpreted as disloyalty to the state government.

The statement also disclosed that the alleged threats had prompted the resignation of a councillor, Babatunde Falae, from the group.  GMT, however, reiterated its loyalty to the APC and President Tinubu, calling on stakeholders to prioritise unity and dialogue.

Meanwhile, a counter-statement from the Ondo Solidarity Forum, a group loyal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has dismissed GMT’s claims as “unfounded.”