Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Smart Omodunbi, has dismissed reports of a rift between the governor and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, insisting that the two leaders maintain a cordial relationship.

Omodunbi said there was no quarrel requiring intervention from party elders, adding that both men were focused on governance and not engaged in political disputes.

“The governor does not have time for petty fights with a minister. Both are busy tackling the serious business of governance,” he said.

This follows a meeting of the Ondo Mandate Elders Forum on Wednesday in Akure, where party leaders expressed concern over growing tension between supporters of Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo.

Led by former Commissioner of Works, Erastus Akeju, the elders resolved to summon both leaders for dialogue to prevent further division within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the upcoming elections.

Convener of the forum, Ademola Ijabiyi, said the intervention became necessary to avert a political crisis in the state.

“We cannot watch things degenerate into a full-blown crisis. Governor Aiyedatiwa is our governor, and Bunmi Tunji-Ojo is our son, too. Both of them are leaders of this state. We will call them and insist on peace,” Ijabiyi said.

He added that the forum would continue to play a mediating role in resolving political disagreements and promoting unity in the state.