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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
A group championing the second term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Ondo State, Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG) has declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State is not capable of delivering the state for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The group therefore called for unity within the party in the state, alleging that unity, love and cohesion have eluded the party due to the actions of the Governor.
Also, the group raised the alarm that the actions of Governor Aiyedatiwa are capable of causing defeat for the APC in the next year’s presidential election.
Addressing a press conference in Akure on Wednesday, the Director General of the group, Hon
Olumuyiwa Asagunla observed that the APC in the state is sharply divided due to the actions of the Governor.
However, he said “we cannot afford to go into a critical national election with a house led by a General who has alienated his own troops.”
Asagunla said “a tree does not make a forest and no Governor, no matter how powerful, is greater than the party structure that produced him. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has shown a blatant lack of respect for the founding fathers- the owners of the party, elders, and established leaders he met in the Ondo State APC.
“These are men and women who poured their sweat, resources and experience into stabilising the state and delivering victories for the APC. To bypass them, treat their counsel with contempt and relegate them to the background of state affairs is not just an insult to their persons but a direct assault on the institutional memory of our political family.
“Not long ago, when the dark clouds of impeachment loomed over him as Deputy Governor, it was the collective resilience, institutional support and structural defence of this party, its leaders, elders and organs that shielded him and preserved his political career. When he ran for the governorship, the entire state party apparatus stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, giving him total, unalloyed support to ensure his victory.
“Yet, upon securing the executive seat, the Governor has chosen to repay loyalty with disdain, sidelining the original party owners, leaders and elders. He has allowed arrogance and pride to cloud his judgment, treating the very party structure that birthed his administration as a disposable footstool.
“A leader who cannot manage success without alienating his benefactors is bound for an administrative awakening. We, therefore, strongly condemn, in the most unequivocal terms, the Governor’s inability to build sustainable cohesion with the various organs of the party.”
“For a sitting Governor to be unable to mobilize even a minor fraction, let alone half of the registered voters in his own home turf is a terrible indictment. This shocking voter apathy and collapsed turnout is a direct testament to the fact that the grassroots have been completely alienated by the Governor’s arrogance.
“Let this serve as a stark, unequivocal warning to the national leadership of the APC; Governor Aiyedatiwa is currently incapable of delivering Ondo State for the APC in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
“Regrettably, driven by an obsessive need to satisfy his ego and install absolute loyalists, the Governor began to push to replace experienced legislators from Ondo State with politically naive individuals who know nothing about the complex manoeuvres of the National Assembly,” he added.
