Aiyedatiwa denies backing opposition, vows zero tolerance for anti-party activities
By Julius Alabi, Akure
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has declared zero tolerance for anti-party activities within the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning party members against actions capable of undermining the party’s prospects in the 2027 general elections.
Aiyedatiwa, who dismissed allegations that he was sponsoring APC members or candidates to defect to opposition parties, said he had neither directed nor encouraged any candidate to contest the 2027 elections on the platform of another political party.
The governor spoke yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting with APC local government and ward chairmen in Akure, where he charged the party’s 18 local government and 203 ward chairmen to intensify grassroots mobilisation and work towards victory for the party at all levels.
Aiyedatiwa described the ward chairmen as critical to the party’s electoral success, noting that the outcome of elections was ultimately determined at polling units located within the wards.
“Elections are won at the polling units. And the polling units are right there in the ward. And you are the ward chairmen. Very, very important. You are occupying a significant role in party structure,” he said.
He directed ward chairmen and secretaries to convene regular meetings and bring together party leaders and members in their respective wards to deliberate on the affairs of the party and preparations for the forthcoming elections.
According to him, mobilisation should remain the central focus of such meetings, stressing that party activities must not be mixed with anti-party engagements.
Rejecting allegations of disloyalty, Aiyedatiwa described those spreading the claims against him as “naysayers, blackmailers and slanderers”, insisting that his political antecedents demonstrated his loyalty to the progressive political family.
“I have zero tolerance for anti-party. I have never engaged in anti-party in my life,” the governor declared.
He recalled that at a time when the Labour Party was in power and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was dominant in Ondo State, particularly in his senatorial district and local government, he opted to join the Alliance for Democracy (AD)/Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), despite the party being outside government.
The governor also recounted his political experiences between 2010 and 2020, culminating in his emergence as deputy governor, as well as the controversy surrounding the 2019 governorship primary election.
He said although he won the primary, the party leadership in Abuja subsequently overturned the result, adding that the experience taught him the importance of respecting the authority of the party leadership.
Aiyedatiwa said he had similarly supported aspirants in the past based on decisions reached by party leaders after consultations, stressing that discipline, loyalty and obedience to party decisions remained essential to sustaining the APC.
The governor specifically denied claims that his administration was behind alleged moves by APC members to defect to the PDP or other political parties.
“So, no to anti-party, that’s what I’m trying to say. Let’s support Mr President and all the candidates of our party,” he said.
The governor also expressed appreciation to party leaders for their commendations of his administration’s projects and programmes, describing their feedback as encouraging.
He said the commendations would motivate the administration to accelerate ongoing projects and ensure their completion within record time.
Earlier, the APC state chairman, Babatunde Kolawole, called for total loyalty to Aiyedatiwa and the party, describing such loyalty as necessary for the success of the APC in the 2027 elections.
Kolawole urged the local government and ward chairmen to mobilise support for all APC candidates, saying the governor had directed the party to achieve 100 per cent support for its candidates.
He, however, warned that the party would not tolerate anti-party activities, saying the leadership had gathered intelligence on alleged acts of disloyalty by some members.
The chairman said those found culpable would face the appropriate consequences at the right time.
He expressed confidence that the APC would emerge victorious in the presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in the state.
Kolawole commended Aiyedatiwa for reactivating the party’s organs, including the State Executive Committee, Caucus and Elders Council, as well as approving regular ward meetings to strengthen the party at the grassroots.
He also praised the governor for increasing the allowances of local government and ward chairmen by 100 per cent, adding that the state party executives had equally benefited from an increase.
Speaking on behalf of the 18 local government chairmen, Oluwadare Fadumo commended the governor for what he described as unprecedented support for local councils and residents.
Fadumo said the administration’s projects and empowerment programmes had positively affected market women and youths, while the increase in allowances for party chairmen had generated excitement among party members.
“We want to thank you because this is the first time this is happening in the history of politics in Ondo State,” he said.
