A fresh political disagreement has emerged in Ondo State over the activities of Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as a former aide to the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and an aide to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa took opposing positions on his political activities ahead of 2027.
The disagreement followed comments by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Aiyedatiwa on Public Communication, Dr Debo Akinbami, who accused Tunji-Ojo of allegedly using political structures and supporters in the state to undermine the governor while pursuing his own governorship ambition.
However, a former Chief Press Secretary to the late Akeredolu, Mr Richard Olatunde, who also served as a spokesman in the administration, rejected the allegations and defended Tunji-Ojo’s political mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
Akinbami, in a statement, alleged that some members of the APC Elders Forum had been mobilised to attack the governor politically, describing them as being used to frustrate efforts to reconcile members of the party following the controversy surrounding its recent primary elections.
He argued that Governor Aiyedatiwa had initiated reconciliation efforts aimed at healing divisions within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and positioning the party for a stronger campaign for Tinubu ahead of 2027.
According to him, the alleged activities of the minister and his supporters could weaken the APC in the state and ultimately affect the party’s chances in the presidential election.
Akinbami said, “Governor Aiyedatiwa opts for peace. He keeps mending fences as renegades are breaking them. He is fixing the party that the minister has badly fractured with mischief.”
He further alleged that Tunji-Ojo was building political structures under various names in the state as part of a broader political calculation ahead of the next governorship election in the state.
The governor’s aide claimed that the minister’s alleged focus on his political ambition could become a distraction to the collective interest of the APC and the President’s re-election bid.
However, Olatunde strongly disagreed with the position, saying it would be unfair to dismiss the APC elders who recently advised Governor Aiyedatiwa to reconcile with Tunji-Ojo as being influenced or sponsored by the minister.
Olatunde described the elders as people who had contributed significantly to the development of Ondo State and the APC, arguing that their intervention should be treated with respect.
He also defended Tunji-Ojo’s efforts to mobilise support for President Tinubu, claiming that more than 15 groups were currently working across the state to support the President’s re-election.
According to him, the groups were not merely political organisations existing on billboards but were involved in grassroots engagements, medical outreaches and programmes targeting young people and communities.
Olatunde challenged Governor Aiyedatiwa to demonstrate the structures and programmes allegedly put in place by his administration for Tinubu’s re-election.
He asked, “As we speak, where is the visible structure Governor Aiyedatiwa has put in place for President Tinubu’s re-election in Ondo State?”
The former CPS also urged the governor to concentrate on governance and allow Tunji-Ojo to continue with his mobilisation efforts for the President, and said, “There is no wisdom in fighting the man who is doing the work.”
The latest exchange has further exposed the political differences within the Ondo APC as stakeholders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While Akinbami maintained that the governor’s priority was to reconcile party members and secure a united platform for Tinubu, Olatunde insisted that Tunji-Ojo’s political mobilisation should be recognised as a contribution to the President’s re-election effort rather than portrayed as an attempt to undermine the governor.
The development is expected to intensify discussions within the APC over the management of competing political interests in the state and the need to balance the 2027 presidential campaign with emerging governorship calculations.
