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Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure and Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that his administration will not tolerate thuggery and violence any longer.
Akeredolu said the violence and thuggery that characterised the recent primary of the PDP, where parts of the venue, the Dome, was vanderlize, would no longer be tolerated.
He said his administration was disturbed by the development and appealed to the PDP to exercise restraint in deploying violence.
The governor said he would not hesitate to deploy full weight of law on those found guilty of violence to protect the citizenry.
Akeredolu, who spoke through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said it was unacceptable and unimaginable that politicians would want to use violence to achieve personal aims.
He said he received credible reports that there was serious threat to lives and property during the PDP primary, which was held last Wednesday.
Akeredolu said recent trend of violence in the state was orchestrated following last Tuesday’s attack on the residence of his Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Raheem Aminu.
He said his aide escaped by the whiskers but CCTV captured activities of the invaders.
Meanwhile, Governor Akeredolu, who is also the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard-bearer, has boasted he will defeat the duo of his deputy, Agbola Ajayi and the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, in their wards during the October 10 governorship election.
Speaking at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja after appearing before the APC primary appeal committee, Governor Akeredolu advised his deputy to remain with the PDP.
He also dismissed a claim that his deputy has political relevance and influence, boasting that he will defeat him and Jegede, as he did in 2016.
Asked his impression about Ajayi’s actions, he said: “For me, the deputy leaving the APC to return to the PDP is good. We thought we could accommodate him in APC but since he returned to PDP, it is all well and good. I always wish people the best I can.
“From what I have been told, he has lost the ticket in PDP and I pray he won’t jump to another place but even if he does, all well and good. For his own sake and as a big brother, I will advice him to stay with Jegede and support him.
“He has made a case that he helped me to win in 2016, let him help Jegede to win and we will confirm that he is truly popular. What I know is that he is of no importance, he has no hold on any local government, I can assure you that come the election day, I will defeat him in his local government and he will never recover from it.
“He is of no influence anywhere and we picked him in 2016 because we felt we have someone from PDP coming to join us. We picked him to join us but he tells people that he is a grassroots person. Let me advice him again to stay with Jegede and let us see what happens,” he said.
