• Akinterinwa alleges incessant attacks on supporters, campaign materials
• Leave Aiyedatiwa out of your theatrics, LACO tells aspirants
• Workers urge Governor to address academic record concerns
Ahead of the Ondo State governorship poll, an aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olugbenga Edema, has warned the party against the repeat of the invalidation of the victory of David Lyon as Governor of Bayelsa State.
Edema, therefore, warned that if due diligence is not followed, any lapse in the screening process would spell doom for the party as the issue of fake certificate is both a pre-election and post-election matter.
He said: “The reason for my advice to the credentials/document verification committee of the party is not borne out of any animosity or ill-will towards Lucky Aiyedatiwa or any person but to save the party and the entire APC members in Ondo State from the perdition that befell our members in Bayelsa State from which they are yet to recover.
“Because of the popularity of the APC in Ondo State, if the gubernatorial election is conducted today or on November 16, 2024, the party will defeat the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) or any other opposition parties that might present candidates.
In another development, another governorship aspirant on the platform of the APC, Wale Akinterinwa, has raised the alarm over the continued attacks on his supporters and campaign materials within the state by suspected thugs.
Akinterinwa, who spoke through his campaign organisation spokesperson, Segun Ajiboye, called for urgent investigations by the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) into the recent attack on his supporters in the Odigbo Local Council of the state at the weekend.
Ajiboye, in a statement, stressed the need for the APC leadership and the people of the state to be observant of the rate of violence and destruction of property, including billboards belonging to governorship aspirants, allegedly orchestrated by thugs loyal to the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
But reacting, the Director of Information, Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), Kayode Fasua, said: “There are at least six governorship aspirants from the southern senatorial district, apart from Wale Akinterinwa. How come Akinterinwa’s lackeys, either as directed or deliberately, see Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as a muted punching bag?
“For the umpteenth time in their clueless attempts to disparage the irresistible popularity of the governor, they have been cooking up steaming-hot allegations that they are unable to substantiate.
“They are as unserious as their allegations. Any thug spotted destroying their billboards should be reported to the police rather than distracting a hardworking governor.”
Meanwhile, public servants in Ondo State, under the auspices of Concerned Ondo Public Servants, have expressed concerns over the continued silence of the governor on the purported controversies surrounding his academic records.
According to them, there is a need for Aiyedatiwa to speak with the people of the state following the allegation of the discrepancies in his certificate, stressing that the development is embarrassing and undermines the pride of the Sunshine State.
The group, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Segun Aderibigbe, stated that Aiyedatiwa has a responsibility to the people to openly confront and resolve the issue once and for all.
