Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has started shopping for his deputy.
Aiyedatiwa may announce his deputy next week after consulting with President Bola Tinubu on his final choice.
Vanguard reliably gathered that the governor is looking towards the central senatorial district to pick his deputy.
Aiyedatiwa’s choice, according to sources, is the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razaq Obe.
However, many of the party leaders are against him, alleging that he’s desperate and may rock the boat with time.
Obe was made a commissioner following the recommendation of Betty Akeredolu, wife of the late governor, Betty Akeredolu.
Vanguard learned that the former Secretary to the State Government and a former member of the National Assembly, Sunday Abegunde, is preferred by party leaders in the state.
Abegunde, who is an ally of President Tinubu, was recently appointed as the Executive Director, Corporate Services of the Niger Delta Development Commission Commission, NDDC.
Obe and Abegunde both hail from the central senatorial district.
Recall that Obe, an ally of Aiyedatiwa, was the commissioner that raised the alarm that the signature of the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, had been forged by some cabals.
Obe, in an official letter written to Aiyedatiwa when he was the acting governor, said that the “signature of Mr. Governor on a certain document has been forged”.
Sources said that Obe would be compensated for the role he played by blowing the whistle against the supposed cabals in Akeredolu’s administration.
Akeredolu’s district factor
However, some party leaders have insisted that Aiyedatiwa should pick his deputy from the northern senatorial district, where the late governor Rotimi Akeredolu hails from.
This, according to some of the leaders who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, was to honour Akeredolu and to complete his terms.
However, some supporters of Governor Aiyedatiwa insisted that the position of the Speaker should shift to the northern senatorial district, while that of the deputy governor goes to the central senatorial district.
A party leader, who spoke with Vanguard, said that “we as leaders can only suggest to the governor, the final decision lies with him.
“The governor has the final say. He alone knows who can work with him.
“But for fairness, we’ll prefer that the governor looks towards the northern senatorial district to honour our late governor Akeredolu.”
An aide to the governor, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, said that the party would have a say in the choice of the deputy governor.
“I want to assure our people that the governor is a team player. All stakeholders would be carried along when the decision is to be taken.
“The person to be chosen as the deputy governor would be agreed upon by all stakeholders in our party.
“We can’t afford to make any mistake in our choice of the deputy governor. The governorship election is ahead,” the aide said.
