Aiyedatiwa: NoVacancy in Ondo Government House

Jimoh Ibrahim: You're a huge joker It's mere wishful thinking, I'm succeeding him, Oke declares Governor inaugurates 12 new commissioners

Ahead of the April 20 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election, the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has declared there is no vacancy at the Government House.

However, other governorship aspirants like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim described the governor as a huge joker, while Olusola Oke said it was mere wishful thinking by the governor, saying he would succeed him by February 2025.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed this yesterday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists after he was cleared by the Screening Committee of the party to contest the primary election next week.

His words: "Questions were asked and answered and at the end of the day, I have been cleared that there are no issues. Especially the issue that has to do with the certificate that a petition was written, today that has been put to rest.

"My certificates are genuine and authentic. I think it is just a kind of mischief by some other aspirants who find me to be an aspirant to beat, trying to look for a way to discredit my person but that has been verified and put to rest.

"I think the issue really regarding that was a school they claim was established in 1980 and how come I was able to write my WAEC in 1982. If you are a student of history you will recall that in 1979, when the Governor of Lagos State at the time, Lateef Jakande became Governor of Lagos State, most private schools were taken over and schools were built for the communities. And Ikosi High school that I attended is one of the schools that were built by the regime of Lateef Jakande in 1980. So, it is on record that the school was established in 1980 and at that time I was already in Form '3' in a private school.

"New Nation is in Ikosi, while Royal Comprehensive High School is in Ajegunle Ikorudu very close to Ketu. So all of us were moved to both New Nation and Royal Comprehensive High School and some other schools that were affected by the flood. We were all moved into Ikosi High School Ketu that was built by the government and that was how we wrote our WAEC in 1982 because we were in the first set. I was in Form '3' at the time, it used to be five years, not now that you have six years for secondary school.

"So their question, the petitioner is how can a school be established in 1980 and we have a first set in 1982 that the first set was supposed to be in 1985 but he didn't take time to look at the history. So investigation has been conducted, the schools are still there, WAEC office is there where you can actually verify the subject that I took and the year that I graduated and the school. You just need to buy a scratch card and go to the website of WAEC, it will be there - Ikosi High School Iketu and my name will be there with the subjects that I took and the various grades. So it is clear to everybody that my certificate is authentic and I actually graduated from that school in 1982."

Asked what his advice was for those trying to pull him down, Aiyedatiwa said there was no vacancy in Ondo State Government House.

According to him, "I should just advise them to repent and try to go to the field and work. If they are interested in the seat and the seat is not vacant, that is why they're trying to do all that they are doing."

Responding to what the governor said, Ibrahim noted that the governor would be out of the Government House after the primary election next week.

His words: "He's joking. It is a big joke. He can continue in government with P8, P7. The governor is joking, big joke, huge joke he is cracking with you. He is out of that place by the time we finish primary next week, he is gone and there is nothing virtually he can do about it.

"I don't normally go against people, to me, clear everybody, let them go for primary, let the electorate determine. I have won elections as Senator, I won in six of the six local governments, 65 of the 66 wards, 111,677 votes against Agboola Ajayi 60,000 votes.

"What is the governor talking about? This governor has never won an election, he contested for the House of Representatives, he didn't win one local government, just two local governments, he couldn't even win one.

"He was a pair to Aketi, we didn't vote for him, we voted for Aketi. But I can assure you, the governor is a huge joker," the lawmaker said.

On his part, Oke was of the opinion that what the governor said was intended to undermine the democratic exercise.