‘No quarrel between Aiyedatiwa, Tunji-Ojo’ — Ondo elders insist

Boye Oyeyemi –

Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, under the umbrella of the Ondo Mandate Elders Forum, have dismissed claims of a rift between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The elders, who met at the Akure residence of the forum’s chairman, Chief Erastus Alejo, said their concern was uniting the APC in the state and building structures that would ensure President Bola Tinubu’s landslide victory in the 2027 general elections.

Facilitator of the group, Dr Demola Ijabiyi, told journalists after the meeting that there was no discord between the governor and the minister.

He said, “We said we do not recognise any discord between Governor Aiyedatiwa and Bunmi Tunji-Ojo. The dispute is on social media due to the imagination of social media influencers.

“We did not say that we would reconcile them, as there is nothing on the ground to warrant reconciliation.”

Ijabiyi explained that the elders’ mission was to provide cohesion in the state chapter of the APC, mobilise members, and form a strong support base for President Tinubu.

He said, “The purpose of this gathering is to foster social-political interaction among elders, to get them involved. We are not allowing them to retire yet, because they have a lot of contributions to make. We have to have a central forum and then promote the interests of our party in this state, make sure that there is cohesion, and whenever there is a crisis, we troubleshoot and resolve the crisis.

“Very significantly, we want to have a forum where the elders can also form a support group for President Bola Tinubu, because we have a purpose, we have a target in Ondo State. During the last election, we were boasting that we scored over 60 per cent. We have more than 1.9 million registered voters in Ondo State. So, why can’t we deliver even more than one million for Tinubu? So, we want absolute figures. Ondo State is one of the catchment areas of President Tinubu. We all love him in Ondo State. So, what we require, what we need to do, is to mobilise.”

The meeting was attended by several APC leaders, including former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Sehinde Kumuyi; former Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu; ex-Commissioner Femi Agagu; Chief Bailey Arohunmolase; Mr Ebenezer Alabi; Chief Korede Duyile; Chief Femi Bakare; Senator Yele Omogunwa; and Chief Olabisi Johnson.