Ondo 2012: 8 ACN guber aspirants in defection moves

By DAYO JOHNSON

AT least five aggrieved governorship aspirants of the  Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State are planning to defect to the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State

Three others aspirants of the ACN are also talking with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the intention of defecting to the party.

Two of the three planning to move to the PDP are negotiating the position of the deputy governor and Secretary to the State Government.

The five aspirants heading to the LP, including a serving senator and a former minister, are still talking with a delegation from the ruling party in the state.

They will accompany the LP Governor Olusegun Mimiko during a rally where the governor will publicly make a declaration of his second term ambition slated for Akure, the Ondo state capital.

Dependable sources said the talks were almost sealed and their defection will form part of the governor’s declaration rally coming up within the next two weeks.

Findings revealed that the former chairman of  LP, Dr Olaiya Oni, who defected to the can, is leading the aspirants to the PDP following the alleged injustice done to the northern senatorial district of the state by the leadership of the ACN.
Oni was, last year, wooed to the ACN by the leaders who promised that the position of  governor would be reserved for the Akokos in the Northern area of Ondo.

But when the promised collapsed, he was said to have opened talks with former Governor Olusegun Agagu on the movement of the aspirants to the PDP.

However, the aspirants are finding it difficult to convince their supporters on the need to move to the PDP.  Their supporters, according to findings, are in support of their return to the LP instead of the PDP where they would have to queue.

However, 12 other ACN gubernatorial aspirants, led by Jaiyeola Ajatta, have reportedly endorsed Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, a former NBA president, as the choice of the leaders of the party for the October 20 election and have asked their supporters to back him.

At a meeting held in Osogbo hosted by Osun state governor Rauf Aregbesola, one of the aspirants, Sola Iji, said that all the aspirants had agreed to support Akeredolu because he is the choice of the national leadership.
But two days after the Osogbo declaration, two of the aspirants disowned the meeting.

Dr Olu Agunloye and Dr. Tunji Abayomi dissociated themselves from the agreement to support Akeredolu in the coming election. Both of them said they will not support the injustice done by the leaders who imposed Akeredolu on them.