A serious intra-party feud has broken out within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State and a national leader of the party, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu
is being accused of sponsoring the schisms currently threatening the fortunes of the party in the upcoming governorship election in the state.
The latest disagreement, staking the fabric of the party is said to be behind the current petition of youths in Ekiti State who went up with a strong petition on alleged seven hundred million naira financial backing allegedly committed by Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi to back roll the aspirations of senior lawyer Rotimi Akeredolu, who defeated other twenty four aspirants to clinch the ticket of the APC as the flag bearer of the party for the second time in Ondo State.
While several sources within the Rotimi Akeredolu Campaign Organisation denied the allegation from Ekiti State Youth that JKF gave Mr. Akeredolu a sum of N700m for the primary election, APC denied the allegation that such transaction or donation ever took place.
A source said that “Fayemi does not have seven hundred kobo to give anybody, talkless of seven hundred million naira. It is not also true that Amaechi, Fashola made any donation. There was no meeting between Akeredolu and Nasir El-Rufai”.
One of the sources told Sharpedgenews that the so-called allegation of N700m was actually instigated by persons within the party who had allegiance to former Lagos State Governor, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu. The source who pled anonymity because he was not authorized to make any official statement, disclosed that the APC strongman was determined “to scuttle the guber election in Ondo State and Akeredolu is running on neutral grounds because he would not want to be labeled as an agent of someone who is not from Ondo State”.
Another source explained that apart from the determination to destroy and de-legitimize Rotimi Akeredolu, Tinubu was said to have successfully convinced other aspirants who lost to and congratulated Akeredolu to recount and proceed to file appeal against the process that produced the new governorship candidate. Olusola Oke and Segun Abraham who had openly joined their counterparts to congratulate Akeredolu after the conclusion of the primary election, have since filed their appeal against perceived irregularities.
The face-off between Rotimi Akeredolu and his former benefactor, Bola Tinubu, is a major indication of the open war between the Nigerian presidency and the lion of Bourdillon, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While Tinubu wants his famous protégé, Segun Abraham to be foisted on the party as its candidate through a web of shrouded conceits, the presidency working through well known Ministers of the government, like Fayemi, Fashola and Amaechi fought strongly to give the ticket to Mr. Akeredolu, from Owo in Ondo North Senatorial District. Although Abraham is also from Ondo North, he is a native of Ikare Akoko. Tinubu has always felt inadequately appreciated for his efforts at working for the election of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Many of his suggested candidates for the plum positions of Minister failed to scale Buhari’s litmus. He got angry, speaks well of Buhari in the public, but fights him behind the scenes. Tinubu would have preferred that Buhari stayed off the South-Western political turf, but the forces aligned against him feel that the stakes were just too high and it would be dangerous to allow him to become a major regional tyrant.
However, an organization, the Ekiti Progressives Youths (EPY) has described the alleged donation of over N700 million by the Minister of Solid Minerals and former governor of the State, Dr Kayode Fayemi to support the emergence of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State as another clear display of insensitivity to the plight of the people of Ekiti State.
Rising from its quarterly meeting in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, the EPY said in a communique signed by its President and Secretary, Mr. Samuel Adekunle and Comrade Roland Adewale respectively that it was painful that Fayemi should rather return the billions he looted from the Ekiti State treasury instead of using the fund to fight political battle.
The communique reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the reported donation of over N700 million by Dr Kayode Fayemi to ensure the victory of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) in the last Saturday governorship primary election of the APC in Ondo State.
“That was the same way Fayemi donated N1.5 billion to President Mohammadu Buhari’s campaign, on which basis he was appointed minister.
“Also, it was the same way Fayemi’s wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, in July this year, gave two trailer loads of food items meant for Ekiti APC supporters to Mr. Akeredolu to boast his governorship bid.
“We condemn this frequent use of fund looted from our State treasury to fund elections while Ekiti State is in debt courtesy of unwarranted loans obtained by Fayemi’s government.
“Most importantly, member of APC in Ekiti State are suffering, with many of them unable to feed and Fayemi is there lavishing billions on elections. This is unfair. It is clear demonstration of insensitivity to Ekiti people and it must stop forthwith.”