10th NASS LEADERSHIP OUTBURST; WHY ASIWAJU MUST NOT ALLOW AKETI’S PUPPET IN ONDO 2024 – By Dr Akeredolu O.N

Criticizing the national working committee of his party visa-vis the president elect by Aketi over the leadership of 10th national assembly is a signal that Ondo state governor should be curtailed before 2027, otherwise, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu will live to regret it if Aketi’s puppet succeeds him in Ondo 2024, Arakunrin is a potential flash point and a leverage for division in southwest of Nigeria.

I have read many opinions of people about the governor of Ondo state, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN. Some people said he is a fearless man, always fights for equity and justice. I strongly disagree with these assertions used for Arakunrin by people based on his constant media outbursts for sympathy.

In 2012, he was never known in Ondo state, many political juggernauts were working assiduously to grow ACN which had Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, then ACN national leader, who finally settled down for him as the governorship candidate, ahead of other aspirants like Hon. Saka Lawal, Hon. Segun Ojo, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Dr Olu Agunloye, and Dr Segun Abraham, who were jostling for the ticket. He accepted to contest against his age-long friend, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Labour party, despite that their friendship spanned several decades.

After failing so woefully in the general election, he fought tooth and nail, the legal battles to the appellate court which agreed on the decision of the election tribunal that Aketi lost the governorship election of 2012 by Nigerian constitution.

In 2020, when he had problem with his erstwhile deputy governor, H.E. Agboola Ajayi, who finally used the platform of Zenith Labour party, formed by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to challenge his former boss, Aketi concluded that his long time friend is a foe, infact, he described Iroko of Ondo state politics and Justice Sehinde Kumuyi as bogus enemies, this was the term he used for them on the live television broadcast of ‘Politics Today’, a program anchored by a veteran journalist, Mr. Seun Okinbaloye.

The question is this, when Aketi had earlier contested against Dr. Mimiko’s second term, he was the chosen then, when the latter then supported his erstwhile deputy against his second term, he suddenly became an enemy that Aketi claimed he would need the grace of God to forgive, just to show my readers the true nature of Aketi.

In the same vein, after the lack-lustre performance of Arakunrin Akeredolu in 2012 governorship, Asiwaju Ahmed was said not to be pleased with the way the entire finances of the campaign were shoddily handled, decided to swift loyalty to Dr. Segun Abraham in 2016, all hell was let loose from Aketi against his benefactor, He forgot all the privileges enjoyed from the Jagaban of Borgu through cash, kind and influence in the money consuming governorship election, just four years earlier, without Arakunrin spending a dime of his personal money.

To add insult to injury, he finally won in the controversial primary of APC, became the governor-elect and refused to recognize the presence of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in his swearing-in ceremony at the sport complex, Akure.

Also, on several occasions, many insulting words were openly used on the president-elect by the acclaimed political saint called Aketi. In one of the fora, the current governor of Ondo state asked Adaba FM, a radio station believed to be owned Asiwaju of Lagos state to go to its owner in Lagos state for help over the bad road joining the station to the main express road, i.e he (Aketi) sarcastically said that their boss (DG) should ask Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu to construct the road liking the broadcasting station. Putting his presidential ambition in view, Jagaban of Borgu had been handicapped in handling the excesses of Ondo state governor, thank God it has ended in joy for the professor emeritus of African politics.

Likewise, in 2019, when all his preferred aspirants were not favored as the candidates for state and national assemblies’ elections by then national chairman, Comrade Adam Oshiomole, who tried to balance the situation for all the interested groups and factions in the ruling party, Aketi ensured his party failed in general elections, including the presidential candidate, President Muhamadu Buhari.

He used his influence as the governor to divide the state chapter of the party, ordered his supporters to work and vote for Action Alliance’s candidates, and APC finally lost to PDP and other mushroom political parties.

In the last six years, he had been scoring cheap goals by attacking the number one citizen of Nigeria through the media despite his unrestricted access to Aso-rock where he could easily see Mr. president and make his grievances kknown,but Arakunrin preferred otherwise. It’s on record that he wouldn’t have become the landlord in Alagbaka’s governor house, Akure, without the unflinching support from president Muhamadu Buhari during APC governorship primary of Ondo state in 2016, this is a fact that Aketi has forgotten.

The last APC primaries in 2022 followed another dimension, Aketi called all the aspirants into a meeting in Cocoa governor’s office, Akure and promised to be neutral, claimed not to have any anointed aspirant. Having heard this politically unrealistic promise from him, I tried to call the attentions of the contestants to the reality on ground but majority of them were blindfolded by lies from the Ondo state governor.

They later faced their waterloo, making it very difficult for them to survive his politically shenanigans. Following the massive winning of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in sunshine state during the last presidential election, which could be traced to the untiring efforts of all Emilokan groups, from SWAGA, TIAM and others, Aketi tried to claim the glory which I have debunked on several occasions through my articles, i.e Ondo state APC members worked for Tinubu’s victory, not Aketi as he tried to claim.

The same Gov. Akeredolu, who single-handedly picked all the candidates in Ondo state for house of assembly, house of representatives and senate in the last elections, appointed the speaker of the Ondo state house of assembly, nominated the current minister from Ondo state, now wants to nominate speaker for the house of representatives and senate president for Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, through the back-doors. At least, this signal is a confirmation of his totalitarian nature that I have been criticizing in Ondo state.

If Tinubu fails to curtail Aketi, Asiwaju will live to regret it in 2027, the worst mistake the president-elect can make is to allow Aketi’s puppet to sail through as the governor in Ondo 2024, Aketi never supported Tinubu in last presidential election, his heart has always been with his Igbo In-laws.

Arakunrin has started again, criticizing the national working committee of his party, visa-vis the president-elect, because his expectations are not met by the current zoning arrangement, that’s Aketi for you, that’s the hell we have been going through under the modern-day emperor of Ondo state.

Dr. Akeredolu O.N was the leader, Aketi Medical Team and vice chairman, Aketi-Ayedatiwa medical committee for the 2020 re-election Campaign