The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has reignited the conflict within the All Progressives Congress (APC) saying he does not recognise Ajayi Boroffice as the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate.
He said he only recognises two senators, Yele Omogunwa (Ondo South) and Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central) as senators representing the state.
The three senators from Ondo are members of the APC.
Mr. Akeredolu spoke in Akure, the state capital, during the unification rally marking his first year anniversary as governor of the state.
“l only know of two senators of APC in this state, Senator Tayo Alasoadura and Senator Yele Omogunwa, the third one, l don’t know,” he said, while fielding questions from journalists at the rally.
The governor also endorsed the acting chairman of the party in the state, Ade Adetimehin, whose placement is being challenged by suspended chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.
He said Mr. Adetimehin was the “authentic” chairman of the party in the state, while others are “counterfeit.”
The governor and Mr. Boroffice have had subtle antagonism since the September 2016 primaries which produced the former as the candidate of the APC for the governorship election.
Messrs. Boroffice and Kekemeke said to be loyalists of the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, were said to have opposed the emergence of Mr. Akeredolu as the party’s candidate, for the last governorship election.
The issue between them is expected to form part of Mr. Tinubu’s reconciliation efforts in Ondo State.
The governor, along with his counterparts in Edo and Ogun States, also used the opportunity to declare their support for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
The party’s national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, also emphasised the need to back the president for the coming election.
Mr. Akeredolu said that a presidential campaign office would soon be opened in Akure, capital of Ondo State as part of measures to ensure that President Buhari got a second term ticket by 2019.
Mr. Odigie-Oyegun, in his goodwill message, thanked the people of the state for giving approval to his request that they should vote Mr. Akeredolu as their governor when he came to address a campaign rally about a year ago.
“Just a year ago, we came to launch a difficult campaign and a year after, we came to celebrate Aketi, you are now happy today that you made the right choice as you all stand by him, you should let the sun continue to shine,” he said.
Those who graced the occasion include the Edo and Ogun State governors, Godwin Obaseki and Ibikunle Amosun; former governors of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi and Segun Oni, among others.
