Ondo PDP Primary: I'm confident of winning, says Deputy Gov. Ajayi

Agboola-Ajayi

Agboola-Ajayi

Hon Agboola Ajayi

By Taiwo Okanlawon

Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi who is also one of the aspirants of Peoples Democratic Party’s primary election has expressed confidence in winning the party’s ticket.

Ajayi who recently defected from the ruling APC back to the PDP, Agboola Ayayi will face Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the party in 2016.

Others are the immediate past Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the party, Eddy Olafeso; Senator Boluwaji Kunlere; Bode Ayorinde and Godday Erewa, Ben Banjo Okunomo and Sola Ebiseeni.

Ajayi who spoke to P.M News through his chief press secretary, Babatope Okeowo said he has met with the delegates in all 18 local governments and also has the support of some aspirants who dropped their ambitions for him.

“The deputy governor has done the needful, he has gone round the local governments, he has met with the delegates, we are just hoping and praying,” Okeowo said.

“For now, we have two aspirants supporting us, we have Otunba Akindele Akingboye, he was initially disqualified but later qualified, but he has dropped his ambition for deputy governor, the same thing with Prince John Olamafo. He was a PDP running mate to Jegede in 2016 election and now with us.

“We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but we are confident that Agboola Ajayi will become the flag-bearer of PDP after the primary,” he added.

Reacting to the news about other PDP aspirants who are feeling unsettled about the deputy governor’s return to the party, Okeowo said Ajayi is the most senior PDP member among the aspirants having joined the party in 1998.

“I can confidently say none of them is a senior Hon. Ajayi in PDP, let me tell you, he started in 1998 and left in 2015 and came back in 2020.

“Jegede joined in 2015, Banjo Okunomo joined in 2915, Sola Ebiseeni moved from AD to Labour Party and from there came in 2015, Eddy Olafeso came in 2006. So this remained in PDP since inception until 2015, and he had a genuine grouse, he won the PDP’s ticket in 2015 election and when Mimiko came with Labour Party, so his ticket was affected.”

So you know there has to be an infusion of old Labour and old PDP and some of them were not happy with it, so they left in annoyance. Many of them are now back, so none of them parade the credentials of Agboola as PDP member, and that’s why they are raising all these false allegations against him,” he stated.

Okeowo, however, said after the primary party is looking at a good contest but it is a known fact that the sitting governor has lost the confidence of the people.

“People are tired of him, so I don’t know how he can win this election because people in APC are tired of. Look at the way he maltreated his deputy, his commissioners, you saw the video, he has bastardized the government to the extent that only few people have access to his government.

“So people are waiting for October 10, even people in APC, to vent their anger on him, whoever the PDP presents will win the election,” he said.

The primary election will hold today, with 2,111 delegates from the 203 wards in the 18 local government councils of the state.

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