- What affects Jegede also affects Akeredolu, Okunomo replies Alasoadura
Banji Okunomo, a former council Boss and a leader of the Zenith Labour Party in Ondo State, said he has been vindicated over the comment of Senator Tayo Alasoadura, who said on Friday, that Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State is wasting his time, because’ it is not yet the turn of Ondo Central to produce the governor.’
Starnews Nigeria had reported that Alasoadura, the Minister of State for Niger/Delta Affairs, who hails from Ondo Central Senatorial District with Jegede in Ondo State had yesterday shocked his kinsmen when he said that Jegede, his kinsman from Akure South, is wasting his time, thereby corroborating the stance of Okunomo on the issue of zoning in one aspect.
Alasoadura, a chieftain of the APC, is a native of Iju/Itaogbolu in Akure North Local Government Area of the state, while Jegede, his kinsman, is from Akure town in Akure South local government area of Ondo State.
But reacting to the development, while addressing crowd supporters at ZLP’s rally in Okitipupa, Okunomo, the former Publicity Secretary and a former governorship aspirant of the PDP who had recently joined the ZLP in Ondo State, said on Saturday evening that the statement credited to Senator Alasoadura, a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an indigene of AKURE kingdom and a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress has vindicated him.
Okunomo told the cheering crowd:
”I want to state that truth is like a cork, no matter how you try to submerge it, it will resurface itself and the truth is coming now where an Akure indigene has openly come out to say no, it’s not the turn of Akure ( Ondo Central) to produce the governor and that the candidate of the PDP, Jegede, is merely wasting his time.”
”As a matter of fact, I’ve always maintained my ideological stand on issues, I don’t go by the crowd. By that statement and coupled with what people are saying, the race is between the APC and ZLP. Majority of us who were working for the PDP then have abandoned the PDP now, leaving only the party structure loyal to Jegede.”
”If you look at the campaign of the PDP, you’ll discover that the PDP candidate,Mr Eyitayo Jegede SAN, goes to the market area for his campaign where he can enjoy the natural gathering of people because people gather in market areas or motor parks, but if it’s about people coming out to embrace the party, the PDP has lost out in this contest in Ondo State. Maybe next time, the party will learn because this same error was committed in 2012 when they fielded Chief Olusola Oke from the South as at the time it was not the turn of the South to produce the governor, the same error was repeated in 2016 when Eyitayo Jegede himself was nominated from the Ondo Central after 8years of Dr Mimiko from the Central as the governor of Ondo State for uninterrupted 8 years which both resulted to the failure of the PDP in the two circumstances.”
”Now, PDP has again picked from the wrong zone, Ondo Central and the people are saying NO, including a minister who is their son from Akure”.
”My people, it is not the turn of the Central to produce the governor thus the contest is a straight contest between the candidate of APC and ZLP. But I’m optimistic that what affects Jegede also affects the incumbent governor of Ondo State from Ondo North Senatorial District who also doubles as the APC flag bearer. Though the constitution permits him to run if he so wishes the people are against him based on number 1 factor which is Zoning, many people in Ondo State want power to shift to the South because they believe Ondo North where Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu hails from, has used 12 years (i.e 4yrs of Pa. Ajasin, 4yrs of Pa. Adefarati and 4yrs of Akeredolu himself).”
”Let me also state that a pot does not come kettle-black, I would have taken the statement of Sen. Alasoadura more serious , if he had said it is not the turn of the North senatorial district this time but he is being political because he didn’t extend that statement to affect the candidate of his own party.”
”The reality is that neither the North nor the Central is favoured, it is only the South senatorial district that is favoured at this moment, I mean it is only the ZLP that has produced a candidate from the south which we want in Ondo State and that is the reason why in the last couple of days, there have been a number of people trooping in from the APC and the PDP to join the ZLP.”
As we speak, you’ll discover that no single person is joining the PDP or the APC in Ondo State, it has been the chieftains of PDP and APC that are joining the ZLP. The ZLP together with the candidate is the beautiful bride of the masses. People are satisfied with the pedigree of the deputy governor Agboola Ajayi who has been elected to serve in various capacities before and he did well and this time around the National Leader who is also a former governor, Dr Mimiko, is strongly supporting the continuity of those caring-heart projects in Ondo State.”
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