By Dayo Johnson

ALL is still not well within the All Progressive Congress in Ondo State even after its landslide victory in the November 26 governorship election. The hijacking of the soul of the party in the state by the Abuja cabals has come back to roost with regard to the choice of who gets what in the incoming government of the governor elect, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and also federal appointments.

Meanwhile, the governor-elect had jetted out of the country, last weekend, to perfect the list of those to be given appointments especially those portfolios that he would unveil at his inauguration. Vanguard gathered that Akeredolu’s GRA residence in the ancient town of Owo had since his election been a beehive of activities including various groups and personalities paying courtesy calls to lobby for appointment.

Lobby for appointment

Meanwhile, leading the cabals in the appointment issue is the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, who calls the shots from his state. Already some traditional leaders of the state have started kicking against the undue influence of the cabal on Akeredolu even after governorship election in which they played a major role in ensuring his victory.

Gov Mimiko and Akeredolu, ACN candidate during the last guber election in Ondo State.

Party leaders are insisting that the cabals should take their hands off in the appointments in both the state and the federal levels to avoid precipitating crisis in the party. The race for positions such as chief  of staff to the governor, secretary to state government SSG, commissioner for works, finance, land and housing, agriculture, natural resources and juicy boards such as Ondo State Oil Producing Development Commission, OSOPADEC, water corporation, wealth creation agency among others have commenced. Be that as it may, there are grumblings by some notable leaders of the party who complained of marginalization in the constitution of the transition committees.

A leader who spoke in confidence said “a situation where outsiders dictate who gets what in the incoming government in this state is unacceptable. He insisted that “importing” of people who were not part of the struggle within the state would be resisted. At the state level, one of the cabals is reportedly fronting for his wife to be the secretary to the state government while another is pushing someone forward for the position of the Finance commissioner and other juicy portfolios.

Reports have it that the cabals are bent on having their ways in appointing their cronies to choice positions. The appointment of the representative of the state in the board of the NDDC since the Senate dropped Tokunbo Ajasin who was reportedly pushed forward by one of the cabal  despite not being from any of the oil producing communities in the state is yet to be replaced because of various interests.

Of recent, after the last governorship election, reports had it that the Presidency in a bid to placate the aggrieved national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, nominated one of those in his camp as a career ambassador. Hon. Sola Iji who was pencilled down to deputise the preferred candidate of Asiwaju in the last governorship election in the state Olusegun Abraham was nominated and his name was forwarded to the Senate.

But the cabals in their desperate bid to continue to hold sway manoeuvred and expunged Iji’s name from  the new list sent to the red chamber by President Muhammad Buhari. This is coming even after Iji had celebrated the appointment and party members had started calling him “ambassador”.

Iji who was a former state chairman of the defunct Action Congress AC. Tongues wagged when it was discovered that Iji’s name had been replaced with that of Daudu Igbekele who defected to the party few months to the governorship election in the state. Daudu was a former Special adviser on infrastructure and maintenance before he was appointed as the commissioner for  physical planning and urban development under the out-going governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Those against the nomination

Groups and members of the state executives have kicked against and rejected the replacement of a staunch member of the party, Iji, by Daudu. Those against the nomination of Daudu by Governor Ibikunle Amosun said aside the fact that Daudu is an opportunist who wanted to reap where he did not sow, he allegedly worked against the governor elect, Akeredolu during the last election. He supported and was the director general of the governorship campaign of Senator Ayo Akinyelure eyeing the seat during the last election in the state.

Speaking on the nomination of Daudu, a member of the state executive, Saka Yusuf, confirmed the anti-party activities of the nominee during the governorship election in the state. “I am a member of the state excos of this party, Jacobs Daudu joined our great party one week to the presidential election, after serving six years in governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration.”