Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), the mainstream campaign body for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, has said that those accusing the governor of divisive tendencies are mere idle hands, and ready tools for the devil.
The campaign organisation in a statement issued in Akure on Monday by its Director-General, Mr. Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, said it would not have bothered to reply originators of various destructive online publications against the governor, but for the sake of unsuspecting members of the public.
Yusuf-Ogunleye in the statement issued through the LACO-FS State Director of Information, Mr. Kayode Fasua, averred that an article issued by one Sola Ajisafe, a media aide to recently sacked commissioner for finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa, was a tissue of lies in its entirety.
He also dismissed another such article by the similarly sacked Commissioner for information, Mrs. Bamidele Olateju, as a reash of idle comments that have lately rent the camp of the governor’s detractors.
“Ajisafe, who appears as a political lap-dog has run to town only with such wild comments that Aiyedatiwa has been courting enemies of the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
“Pray, can we classify the like of Rt Hon Victor Olabintan, who was Akeredolu’s two-term campaign director-general, Deaconess (Mrs) Lola Fagbemi, Olayato Aribo, Rasheed Badmus, Bar Owanikin, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, Pastor Emmanuel Igbasan, Pastor Femi Agagu, and Dr (Mrs) Ilawole, who were top appointees under Akeredolu as the late former governor’s enemies?
“Today, all these people are in Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation, working tirelessly to ensure that Aiyedatiwa who was a loyal deputy to Akeredolu is elected to continue as governor, come next November.”
Yusuf-Ogunleye added that Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, and more than 20 out of 26 members of the House of Assembly, and personalities like Mrs Bunmi Ademosu and Dele Ologbese that served as commissioners under Akeredolu are members of Ayedatiwa’s campaign structures.
“Let Ajisafe, therefore, mention former cabinet members appointed under Akeredolu, fondly called Aketi, that are not with Ayedatiwa; apart from one former commissioner and his five-man gang that are cabal members, holding the state by the jugular, using the inglorious slogan, ‘Oga so pe ( the boss has so directed) at a time Akeredolu ailed badly.
“More than 12 of the former elected council bosses that served under Aketi are with Ayedatiwa. The party, APC, under Engr Adetimehin is on the same page with the governor. Leaders of the party from North, Central and the southern part of the state are for Ayedatiwa.
“Ajisafe can contact people at Oda and Ijoka who would tell him that their roads were abandoned under the last administration when the road supervisors left their supervisory job for dirty politics of impeachment; but that now, the contractors are back on site and residents in the area can heave a sigh sign of relief,” he stressed.
As for Mrs. Olateju, the immediate past commissioner, Yusuf-Ogunleye lamented that a woman of her pedigree could bring herself so low as to be bickering that Governor Aiyedatiwa is relating with former Governor Segun Mimiko, the only surviving former governor of Ondo State.
“Lamentably still, Olateju has been unable to justify her hue and cry regarding why Aiyedatiwa, who has been visiting stakeholders in the state for guidance, should keep away from Mimiko.
“If the campaign committees of Aiyedatiwa ‘s detractors so much love our late leader, Aketi, they should have observed this week as a week of mourning and sober reflections, that the late governor will be committed to mother earth.
“As for us in LACO-SF, we are using this week to observe a mourning period in honour of our departed leader, Akeredolu, who will be buried this week.
“Again, these inscrutable characters should keep away from Mimiko and other elder statemen and stakeholders in moving the state forward irrespective of their political affiliations.
“Indeed, these are idle hands and possibly, willing tools in the hands of the devil,” Yusuf-Ogunleye countered.