Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, has described last Saturday’s local government election in the state as a charade, saying the attitude of government officials during the poll showed that the people are tired of the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration.
However, he commended the people for shunning what he described as a public show of shame.
The deputy governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Babatope Okeowo, said he was appalled by the level of violence and brigandage that characterised an election that was conducted by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission to usher in elected officials at the third tier of government.
He said: “Reports available to the deputy governor showed that many people were injured in some councils, while government functionaries in conjunction with security agencies were seeing carting away ballot papers.
“The deputy governor commended the people who saw through the facade, called local government election and stayed away from it.
“From the charade held on Saturday, it is clear that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in Ondo State has lost the goodwill that brought it to office four years ago.
“It is also clear to all and sundry that the charade put up by the outgoing governor of Ondo State in the name of local government election, which is a ploy to escape the people’s wrath for his poor governance in the state, has failed.
“The deputy governor asked the people to get their permanent voters’ cards (PVC) ready to vote out this under-performing government of Governor Akeredolu.
“We are confident that the October 10 governorship election will be devoid of violence and will reflect the electoral wish of the people of the state,” he said.
Ajayi described the planned reduction of school fees of tertiary institutions by the state government as afterthought.
He said one of the reasons he fell out with Governor Akeredolu was the increase in school fees of the state-owned tertiary institutions without consideration of the earnings of parents.