Barely 24 hours after the defection of the Ondo state deputy governor Hon Agboola Ajayi to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the state government has sacked all his aides.
Ajayi was received into his new party, the Peoples Democratic Party by the national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and other party chieftains on Monday.
Ajayi had insisted that he would not resign his position as the deputy governor despite the intimidation.
But the leadership of the party in the state led by Ade Adetimehin had disagreed with Ajayi asking him to resign his position honourably after resigning from the ruling party.
Adetimehin describes his insistence not to resign his position as vexatious.
However, the sack of the deputy governor aides was contained in two separate statements signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Segun Ajiboye.
One of the statements reads ”The Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has relieved Mr. Allen Sowore of his appointment with immediate effect. ” Until his sack, Mr. Sowore was a Special Assistant to the governor on New Media.
”Mr. Sowore is advised to submit all government’s properties in his possession to the Chief of Staff to the Governor. The second statement came hours after the first announced the sack of another six aides including that of the deputy governor’s wife.”
It reads ”the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has relieved the following aides of their appointments. The affected aides are: Mr. Olomu Bayo, Special Assistant, Special Duties, Mr. Olawale Abolade Mukaila, Special Assistant, Photography, Mr. Babatope Okeowo, Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Samuel Sam Ogunmusi, Personal Assistant, (Deputy Governor), Mr. Tokunbo Omotunmise TK Phobia, Special Assistant to the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Erifeyiwa Shola Akinnugba, (Photography, wife of the Deputy Governor).
”The affected aides are advised to submit all government’s properties in their possession to the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
Vanguard reports that the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Olugbenga Ale invited the aides to a meeting. The invitation letter was signed by one Somo Ogunlade, the Director(Finance& Admin/Political & Economic Affairs).
It reads ”l have been directed to invite your good self to a meeting with the Chief of Staff to Mr. Governor in his office scheduled on Tuesday,23rd June 2020 by 12.00 noon.
Vanguard report adds that the aides of the deputy governor didn’t attend the meeting following the alleged plan by political thugs to lynch them.
But an aide to the governor told Vanguard that “the meeting was to reassign the aides to the governor but that since they shunned the meeting the state government had no option than to relieve them of their appointments.
The reason for his sack of Sowore was not mentioned but reports had it that Sowore was fingered as the person who leaked the video in which the deputy governor and the state police commissioner, Mr. Bolaji Salami had an altercation over his exit from the government house on Saturday to the social media.
The video went viral and received condemnation across the country. Governor Akeredolu who was alleged to have given the police commissioner the directive has however denied that he knew about the stoppage of the deputy governor from exiting the government house last Saturday.
