The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has accused Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of plans to remove him illegally from office through the state House of Assembly.
His Chief Press Secretary, Tope Okeowo, insisted in a statement on Tuesday that the deputy governor had not violated any part of the constitution, with his defection.
Ajayi had dumped the All Progressives Congress on Sunday for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and pointed out that he would not resign as deputy governor.
But his media aide argued that the governor could not pull the requisite number in the House of Assembly to remove his boss.
He said, “By joining PDP, Agboola Ajayi has not committed any impeachable offence. He has only exercised his constitutional right of freedom of association. Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“For the avoidance of doubt, we state unequivocally that the governor and his allies do not have and cannot muster the requisite majority in the House of Assembly for the removal of the deputy governor under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 in any free, fair and transparent process.”
Reacting, the state Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, described the allegation as frivolous.
“For anyone to aver that lawmakers have been financially induced is a gross display of emptiness. It becomes more laughable when such comes from someone who had boasted about having majority members in the Assembly,” he said.
