Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Monday broke silence on alleged withdrawal of security details of his Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi.
Ajayi had last week raised the alarm that the State Commissioner of Police, Salami Bolaji ordered withdrawal of his police escort and therefore put his life, family and staff in danger.
But Governor Akeredolu who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, said his Deputy raised the alarm after gotten approval for six security personnel from the Inspector General of Police.
Akeredolu stated that Ajayi sent police escort he doesn’t “trust” back to the Government House Security structure.
He said the Deputy Governor disengaged his ADC, Dele, another Sgt Kasali by himself and later cried foul.
According to Akeredolu, “He applied for six Policemen, instead of the statutory eight for a deputy Governor on the 10th of June and the IGP approved via Letter No: CB0900/DOPS/ FHQ/ABJ/VOL/60/263 dated same 10th June 2020.
“It goes to show that none of his security was withdrawn as he made the innocent public to believe. All the security attached to his official residence have remained intact, none was removed or withdrawn.
“The questions are: when did he apply? When was the alarm raised? Was it approval of his letter that was sent or an order to reinstate his allegedly withdrawn security?”
But spokesman for Ajayi, Babatope Okeowo, in a press statement said the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, ordered CP Salami, to restore security details of his boss.
He said the IGP’s directive was contained in a memo addressed to the Police Commissioner through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations, Force headquarters Abuja.
Meanwhile, Ajayi commended lawmakers in the Ondo State House of Assembly for what he termed integrity and courage displayed for shunning all entreaties, inducement and intimidation from Governor Akeredolu.
He urged the lawmakers to shun another latest plan to move the next meeting of the impeachment plot to a private hotel in Ijapo area of Akure, the State capital.
The Deputy Governor said the plot by his boss to use 19 out of the 23 APC suffered setback owing to the resolve by the majority of the Honourable Members of the State House of Assembly to uphold the sanctity of the hallow chamber.
He urged security agents and Ondo people to be vigilant and watchful of the latest moves by Governor Akeredolu to illegally remove him at all cost for no other reason than the exercise of his constitutional right of freedom of association – by moving from the All Progressives Congress, (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party,(PDP).
