Ondo 2020: APC harvests ZLP Members as Financial Crisis deepens

…we are not cash strapped, says Ajayi

Ahead of ondo governorship election in October ,depletion of membership of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) continued over the weekend as over 2,000 members defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development, it was learnt, was not unconnected with the reported cash crunch that has hit the ZLP; a report the party has pummeled as coming from the APC led state government.

Specifically, the defectors are mostly from the Ese-Odo local government, home front of the ZLP governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi where the chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ese-Odo local government, Prince Newton Olomu and four ward chairmen defected to the APC.

Others who defected included former Deputy Chairman of ZLP, Engr. Abayomi Adebayo; State ex officio member, Rotimi Bowei; Vice chairman Festus Gbasinghan; Local govt youth leader, Success Digha, Eliphus Ibakedein, Joseph Omomo, Victoria Peretei and Ipiteigha Tam among others.

The defectors were received into the APC by Ondo chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin at a campaign rally of the party in the area.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Adebayo said they left the ZLP to join Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to move the the next level.

Adebayo said it was saddening the deep sea port initiated by the late Olusegun Agagu administration was abandoned by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko for eight years.

In a remark, Adetimehin said the Ondo APC has harvested over 60 percent of ZLP local government executives.

Adetimehin said ZLP local government leaders in Ondo East and Ondo West would collapse their structure and join the APC soon.

Akeredolu had said he would pursue the establishment of the deep sea port and actualise the dreams for the economic prosperity of the state.

“When I came and I started pursuing the seaport, my colleague Governors were asking me what my predecessors were doing before. I didn’t lie. I told them that Agagu initiated the dream. It is deep.

“Mimiko abandoned Agagu’s project outright. Look at the University in Okitipupa, Agagu didn’t put it in his home town. Look at the Univeristy, If Mimiko had attended to it, it would be one of best around by now. Why?

“The Government House chapel, we met it at foundation level, I completed it and invited Mimiko to come and do the, commissioning. I put his name on it.

“I did that because he was the one that laid the foundation. That’s how government is supposed to work. Government is continuum.

“If Mimiko had continued from where Agagu stopped on the sea port, by now, we would have seen progress. The seaport is not something that we can do overnight. I am very sure that with that port, our people can never suffer.

One of the defectors who is from Ondo East confided in our correspondent that the embattled deputy governor had not garnered enough war chest contrary to an earlier impression that there was money to prosecute the election.

“Theu are just putting up bold face. There is no money from any quarters as they want people to believe. The man(Ajayi) is broke. What they are doing is to continue to tell us there is money, yet nothing is coming forth”, he said.

Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike who was alleged to be one of Ajayi’s main backers before his defection from the Peoples  Democratic Party(PDP) to the ZLP has reportedly stopped releasing funds to the embattled deputy Governor who dumped the PDP after losing the party’s governorship ticket.

Ajayi had left PDP thirty days after he joined the party.

Already, the ruling All Progressives Congress(PDP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have commenced their local governments tours and rallies across the State.

While APC governorship candidate and Governor of the state,  Akeredolu started his local government campaign at Ese-Odo on Wednesday, governorship candidate of the PDP, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN equally visited Akoko North East and Akoko North West local governments as part of his campaigns.

Also, the PDP has fixed this Saturday (September 12) for the official flag-off of its campaign for the October 10, governorship poll.

However, investigations revealed that political activities in the ZLP camp have been stalled due to the inability of the governorship candidate to independently raise funds to finance his campaign.

It was gathered that Ajayi, who is also the Deputy Governor of the state is struggling financially and the party is only being oiled by his running mate, Mr Gboye Adegbenro.

It was learnt that Ajayi is badly hit by lack of fund to the extent that he could not erect enough billboards and print posters across the 18 local governments.

A source in ZLP disclosed that Ajayi is presently in Abuja to meet some of his business partners in order to raise fund for his campaign.

It was also learnt that the ZLP is yet to appoint a Director-General and draw up plans for its campaigns.

A Chieftain of ZLP, who spoke in confidence said:”As at now, we are stranded in ZLP. Before he joined the party, he told us that he has N10 billion to finance his election but I doubt if he has spent up to N10million since he defected from PDP to ZLP.

” Go to all local governments, you will hardly see his billboards and posters. Even in his own local government, Ese-Odo, Agboola Ajayi billboards and posters are scanty.

“He ran to Abuja yesterday to look for money and our prayer is that he returns to Akure with huge money so that we can kick start our campaigns because this is very disappointing.

“It is disheartening that 30 days to the election, ZLP is yet to appoint Director-General, set up committees and draw up plans for the campaign.

“Some of us had to seek for explanations but we got to know that Wike had withdrawn funding us because he is being blackmailed by the PDP for supporting another party.

Apart from that, he is suspicious that the national leader of the ZLP, Mimiko is also eyeing the nation’s number two position in 2023.

But Ajayi who spoke through his media adviser, Allen Sowore alleged the Ondo State Governor,  Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is responsible for the story. He also allayed the fears of his supporters.

“The Agboola Ajayi/Gboye Adegbenro campaign and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) wish to reassure our teeming supporters, followers and particularly the electorates in Ondo State that all logistics, strategies and resources required to win the October 10 governorship election in favour of the People’s Agenda are available and will be deployed without hindrance.

“The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu have become so desperate because of the imminent defeat staring at them.

“The people of Ondo State and the general public should be rest assured that all the shenanigans and chicanery of Akeredolu and APC would bring them nothing but failure and shame because the good people of Ondo State have already taken the right decision to break free from the imposed hardship and economic quagmire ochestrated by the bad policies of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his co adventurers in government.

“The ongoing bazaar and waste of public fund and resources by Akeredolu in the name of campaign is surely a mockery of the suffering people of Ondo state, the unpaid higher institution workers in the state, and Ondo South senatorial district people that have been in total darkness since Akeredolu came to power is unacceptable.

” Akeredolu’s present spending habit which gives an impression that Ondo State is his personal fiefdom shall be questioned at the right time. The people shall speak on October 10 through their votes”

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