Stop setting Aiyedatiwa, Interior minister against each other, commissioner tells APC members
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, has urged members of the All Progressives Congress to stop portraying Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as political rivals.
Ajanaku, who made the call in an interview, said Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo remained important stakeholders in the state, warning that attempts by their supporters to create an impression of a political feud could weaken the APC ahead of future elections.
The commissioner therefore called for greater unity within the party, urging members to focus on the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and the broader interests of the APC rather than magnifying differences among its leaders.
He said political disagreements did not necessarily amount to hostility, urging party members to exercise restraint and avoid public comments that could damage the reputation of their leaders or the party.
Ajanaku also urged APC members to draw lessons from Tinubu’s political experience, citing the relationships among former Lagos State governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode as examples of the complexities that could accompany political leadership.
On local government financial autonomy, the commissioner said councils received their allocations directly into their accounts, while the state government retained a supervisory role in their affairs.
He added that cooperation between the state and local governments remained essential to effective grassroots development, stressing that both levels of government must work together to address the needs of residents.
Speaking on Aiyedatiwa’s recent appointment of aides, Ajanaku described the governor as a leader committed to reaching the grassroots, saying the appointments covered the state’s 203 wards and were intended, among other things, to provide the governor with feedback from communities. He stressed that political leaders and their supporters should place the collective interests of Ondo State and the APC above personal differences, saying unity would be critical to the party’s success at the polls.
