The 2024 governorship candidate of the People's Democratic Party in Ondo state and former deputy governor of the state, Chief Agboola Ajayi, has explained his decision to dump the party and rejoin the All Progressive Congress, (APC).
Speaking in Igbekebo, Ese-Odo council area of the state, where he was formally received back to the party by the leaders of the ruling party, Ajayi, said, he rejoined the APC to enable him to participate fully in it's activities.
Ajayi said that " my move to rejoin the APC would also strengthen his support for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa's 'EASE' agenda and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
"I decided to join APC, you recall that I was a member of APC before.
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I became a deputy governor there. At the time, there was be misunderstanding and I left, but I'm back fully now.
"As I said earlier, I quoted far back in East Africa. We all remember what happened in Kenya, where you have Rayla Odiga of Bissemi Mori and President Uhuru Nyanta. Both of them contested elections together.
"They fought, they abused themselves. But at the time, it's okay. We must come together for the interest of Kenya. That's exactly what I've done today.
"Myself and the governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, we have talked, we have abused ourselves, we did not really go into that abuse.
"We campaigned, at the time of the campaign, you cannot rule out blackmail and propaganda. But we look at it as yes, on those things it is bigger than all of us.
"And this is about the Nigeria project. We should come together to see how we can add value to the system. And particularly, I want to also commend Mr. President for the bold steps and the reforms that he has introduced to the country.
"He's been able to establish and lay a solid foundation. No president will come and say he wants to come and cancel those policies again.
"Anybody that comes in future, after President Tinubu will not, cannot even say he wants to remove all these policies that give government a very formidable economy, vibrant background.
"Yes, no country is free of crime. Nigeria is not exempted, but I'm sure you can see the difference between now and what was maybe about four, three years back. I want to believe with all our support, the president will transform the country.
"After his eight years in office, we will commend him and say that yes, Nigeria is better than how he made it.
"Like I said, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is doing his best. We should come around to also support him so that we can all enjoy the facility of government and contribute our quota so that the country and the states can move together," Ajayi said.
Speaking at the ceremony,the Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Legislative and Party Affairs, Babatunde Kolawole, described the return of Ajayi as a big value addition to the APC.
Kolawole said; "I have the mandate of His Excellency, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to represent him in welcoming our former Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Alfred Agboola Ajayi to our great party.
"And I've said it earlier on that he is a big value addition to our party. He has joined us officially today to support the developmental stride of His Excellency, the Governor of Ondo State.
"And in the course of my presentation earlier on, I read out some of his achievement as it affects our roots, as it affects the welfare of the people, security, among others.
"These are various intervention by His Excellency, the Governor of Ondo State and I was also able to relate it with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, the President.
"He has mentioned the coastal highway, which of course is connecting Lagos-Ore, and other arterial routes within the Southwest. And we also have our ease agenda of our performing Governor, who also doubles as a leader of our great party in Ondo State.
"And I'm sure that some of these achievements that we've mentioned, some of the reasons why that His Excellency (Ajayi) actually saw and that also shape his decision to join the APC.
"His joining is to support us, is to support what the government is doing.
"Now that we have turned Ondo State to a one-party state, our one million votes is achievable and doable come 2027.
"I am not surprised about the crowd we saw here today because His Excellency, Agboola Ajayi is a great mobiliser, he has the followership. We've worked with him in the past in this same party, and we know his strength politically."
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Earlier, the state chairman.ofnthe APC, Engineer Ade Adetimehin, described the former deputy governor as a grassroots politician.
Adetimehin said that "Alfred Agbola Ajayi is a political figure. He's a man that knows the nook and crannies of Ondo State. When it comes to politics, he is a bulldozer."
"Having him back to APC, our party is solid, we are one united family. Myself and him, we did a lot to installed our late governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
"Now, those that have governed the state in the past, all of them are now in APC.
"Virtually all the leaders in Ondo State are now in APC. And like Agboola Ajayi said, he's coming to add value to APC, he's coming to work for the second term of President Bola Tinubu.
"Since Tinubu came into the saddle, we can all attest to it that things are coming down, economy is picking up.
Adetimehin added that " So, Ajayi is coming to APC to join good hands. And once the synergy is there, the party will grow stronger and move forward."
