How Akeredolu turned down demands of Pro-Ajayi lawmakers

***We didn’t beg Akeredolu – Ex Deputy Speaker

More facts have emerged from the meeting held between governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and lawmakers of the Ondo state house of assembly in Owo on Sunday.

ROVING REPORTERS gathered that the lawmakers got an invitation from the parliamentary secretary to have a meeting with the governor on Sunday.

The message reads “REMINDER:
Mr Governor request to meet with 26 members of the ODHA today Sun 07th March 2021 @Aketi House,Owo by 4pm.

The meeting is slated to ensure smooth & cordial relationship btween the Executive & Legislative arm for his 2nd term & house welfare. Pls attend. We leave from Speakers lodge 3pm. ”

ROVING REPORTERS however gathered that the meeting was deadlock as the lawmakers ,especially those loyal to the former deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi were not happy with the outcome of the meeting.

It was gathered that the governor was not happy with the roles played by the lawmakers before and during the 2020 governorship election in Ondo state.

A source who was at the meeting told ROVING REPORTERS that the lawmakers had demanded that Akeredolu should pay their outstanding entitlements and get their own official cars ,the demands the governor turned down.

According the source, Akeredolu described as unacceptable, the demands laid down before him.

The source said “ Mr governor was obviously not happy with them over what they did during the impeachment saga of the former deputy governor and he didn’t want to pretend to them.

He told the lawmakers that though they belong to the same party,they should not expect him to treat them the same way he treated those who supported the party.So the lawmakers felt disappointed with what the governor told them.

Some of them also came with the demand of getting tickets for reelection, but the governor told them he can not promise anybody second term ticket, that it is their people that would decide their fate and not him. ”

But speaking with newsmen in Akure, the former Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji said nothing of such transpired in the meeting with Akeredolu.

He said “Why will anyone say I went to Owo to beg Akeredolu? Did I offend him ? Beg him for what ?

So, I couldn’t have gone to Owo to beg Akeredolu, because I didn’t offend him.

I went to Owo with my colleagues on the invitation of the governor himself.

Not only me, all the 26 members of the house of assembly got an invitation from the parliamentary secretary of the Ondo state House of assembly who is authorised to issue such invitation, that the governor had requested to see all the 26 members in his house at Owo today.

On that note, being the governor of the state, he has the right to invite us and we went to honour the invitation.

On getting there ,he addressed us and asked us what happened and led to the crisis and everybody said his own side and that was how we left the place. So nobody had gone there to beg him.

What we had done was about the impeachment of the former deputy governor which nine of us dissociated ourselves and it is our constitutional right to dissociate or to agree and that’s not an offense against anybody. ”