Senator representing Ondo North in the Senate, Prof Robert Ajayi Borrofice has accused the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of declaring political war against him despite being in the same political party; the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Boroffice who paid solidarity visit to the Correspondent Chapel of the NUJ for the attack on journalists by suspected political thugs on Saturday during the factional congress of the party in Akure, called on the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police to bring the culprits to book.
Speaking on the political differences between him and the governor who incidental are from the same senatorial district, said all efforts by the leadership of the party to resolve the dispute had been rebuffed by the governor.
According to him, the governor has disowned him twice as a member of the APC despite his contribution to the success of the party at various elections in the state.
His words “You heard him on two occasions saying that I am not a member of APC and that I should go a register at my ward. The first was during his inauguration as governor. Also at his one year anniversary, he said he didn’t recognize me as a senator of APC.
“I have no personal grudge against him. I don’t see him as a threat to my ambition but I don’t know whether he sees me as a threat to his ambition. Honestly, I cannot explain but this is part of life and once you are focused on what you are doing, you will regard those things a distraction. In a democratic setting, everybody is welcomed. Whether you agree with me or against me, as much as we agreed on the same ideology, we can work together in a party.
“It is my belief that we all need to work together in this state to move the state forward. I believe I can contribute a lot to this government but I cannot impose myself on the governor. If he needs me, am always available. He has never invited me to any occasion that I turned down; he has not extended any hands of fellowship to me that I refused. It is only him that can explain why he adopted this attitude towards me.
“About three attempts were made to reconcile me and the governor by the South West zonal chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, but all the attempts were aborted by the governor and it takes two to tango.”
Boroffice denied the allegation that former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was behind the factional crisis in the APC in the state.
His words “We were told that there was a parallel Congresses in Lagos against Asiwaju. Is it the one behind that? I don’t believe so. People believed in fundamental human rights, people believe in the principle of democracy. “
Boroffice said the congress supervised by the governor cannot hold as the delegates who emerged from the Congress did not pay the required fees.
His words “The guideline of the Congress is very clear. If you are interested in being voted for at the ward levy, pay into the banks and you would be given a teller, once you have your teller, forms should be made available to you. But throughout, the forms were not available to the members of the party who had their tellers and some people hoard the forms somewhere.
“So, those who have the tellers have to come together and have their own Congress since they don’t have any form. We learnt those who have the forms forget to pay which means they cannot vote or be voted for. We learnt that those people are the one at another parallel congress.”