The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the coming governorship election in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, has explained why Agboola Ajayi, the present Deputy Governor was not picked as his running mate.
Agboola defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his bid to secure a governorship ticket but was defeated by Jegede in the party’s primary election.
The deputy governor then left the PDP for Zenith Labour Party, where he became the standard-bearer.
The expectation of many people was that Jegede and Ajayi would team up against Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who is contesting under the APC.
But Jegede announced Gboluga Ikengboju as his running mate. Ikengboju is a member of the current House of Representatives, representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.
While speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Jegede was not picked as his running mate because his ambition was to become a governor.
He added that Ajayi was part of the “failure” of the Akeredolu’s administration that the PDP is campaigning against.
Why responding to the question in rejecting Ajayi as Deputy, Jegede said, “Ajayi chose not to be my deputy. His ambition is to be a governor under a political party. He left the APC, came to PDP, defeated in our primary, and went to ZLP.
“I took opinions from virtually everybody. People chose who became my running mate. When a choice is made, we must respect it. One should not allow his ambition to override the choice of the people.
“All the policies that we are fighting, the pains we want to end are the product of Akeredolu and his deputy. He was in our party (as a member) for just six weeks. He is a very powerful person and humble, you cannot do away with that.”
Jegede also promised to strengthen the operation of Amoteku if he is elected as Ondo State Governor.
He added, “Amotekun will stay without political influence. We must protect our people.”
The candidate of the PDP promised that he would reduce the tuition fee of the state-owned tertiary institutions, adding that “funding is not an issue.”
The PDP governorship candidate also said he would reduce the tuition of state-owned tertiary institutions, adding that “funding is not an issue.”
