Emerging report indicates that the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Honourable Ajayi Agboola, may resign next week.
Sources said that the resignation is to enable him defect to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where he is expected to contest for the Governorship position in the forthcoming election in the State.
Recall, that the relationship between Hon. Agboola and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has since collapsed, over issues of trust and betrayal.
It was gathered that some APC Lawmakers in the Ondo State House of Assembly would also resign their membership of the APC, and join the PDP.
A Candidate of the PDP in the 2016 Governorship election in the State, Eyitayo Jegede, hinted on the defection of Agboola, last week, when he picked his nomination form.
Jegede stated that the coming of Agboola to the PDP, “demonstrated that the APC has collapsed, and Agboola needs to look for a good house”.
According to Jegede: “If APC was and is good, Agboola Ajayi would not leave APC. If PDP is bad, he would not say he is coming to PDP.
“The party constitution is very clear. He would go to his Ward and register. He will go to the National Working Committee and seek for waiver. When he finishes that, he would come here and pay administrative charges.
“When he is done with that, he would pay for nomination form, if he wants to contest. When he is done with that, he would now go and campaign, and explain to people what he is bringing afresh to the PDP, and Electoral Delegate would decide who will fly the flag of the party.”
Speaking, Agboola’s Spokesman, Babatope Okeowo, said that his boss does not need to resign as Deputy, to contest the Governorship election.
Okeowo disclosed that it is not true that his boss would resign next week.
He stated that his boss could contest whether in the PDP or APC, without resigning from Office.
“Nowhere in the Constitution that says the Deputy Governor should resign if he wants to contest as Governor. Whoever is alluding that should go and read the Constitution.”
Elsewhere, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, in an interview last week, said that Governor Akeredolu is not interested in impeaching or removing the Deputy Governor.
His words: “Mr. Governor believes that whoever wants to leave his government can leave at any time. He will not raise a finger to push anybody out.
“If the Governor is having enough majority, a comfortable majority that is more than two-third in the House of Assembly, and he has no problem dealing with them, then why must he go-ahead that they must impeach someone?
“In the history of Nigeria, I can say that the Office of the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, I am not talking about the personality, but the Office of the Deputy Governor, became more powerful and more influential from 2017 till date, under Akeredolu. Since Akeredolu came on board, the Office of the Deputy Governor became more powerful than it was.
“And if actually, they have parted ways, it will be unfortunate, and only betrayal of trust and confidence could have been the reason.”