The Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy to Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, has defended the governor’s recent comments concerning the zoning formula for the leadership positions of the 10th National Assembly. Akeredolu had earlier rejected the zoning system created by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that it is tailored towards boxing out a possible presidential bid by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Some party leaders have criticised the Ondo state governor for his comments. Odebowale, however, claims that those criticising Akeredolu are old political jobbers that have lost relevance in the state and country at large.
In a statement titled ‘Hustling till twilight: a sad tale of unrepentant misanthropes’, issued on Wednesday in Akure, Odebowale described Akeredolu as a leader who stands for equity and will continue to oppose any act of injustice in his party. The statement read in part, “Politics should not be a profession. Akeredolu has a viable second address. Let all those who have burnt their boats on the country’s political island worry about the possibility of being marooned as the adventurer sets sail to find new treasures. He will continue to be unsparing and forceful in pushing his viewpoints. To him, sycophancy is not a virtue. It has never been an option. He is a product of tradition. People of his pedigree are few in this clime.”
In contrast, a former Ambassador to Togo, Mr Sola Iji, criticised Akeredolu, saying that as a party leader, he should not have publicly condemned the NWC’s decision. According to Iji, the governor’s comments were out of disrespect for the leadership of the party.
The recent comments by Governor Akeredolu have sparked a degree of controversy within the APC, with different opinions offered on the governor’s stance. However, Akeredolu and his loyalists have remained firm on their decision, vowing to challenge any form of injustice in the party.
