Ondo 2024: Aiyedatiwa, Ajayi argue over alleged N1.2billion security votes

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming Ondo governorship election, Agboola Ajayi, on Sunday, accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of withdrawing over N1.2 billion as security votes from the state budget, thereby allegedly impoverishing the people.

He said despite the amount, the state is still undergoing severe security breaches in terms of murders and kidnappings.

Mr Aiyedatiwa, who is running for governor on the All Progressives Congress platform, denied the allegation, saying he never had any reason to spend N1.2 billion on security votes, as the opposition candidate alleged.

The two candidates were locked in a governorship debate organised by Channels TV in Akure on Sunday ahead of the 16 November governorship election.

Allegation

Mr Agboola stressed that he had information that the governor withdrew the amount in the week of the Edo State governorship election, despite the hardship the Ondo people were going through.

He noted that the current administration has destroyed the legacies left behind by the late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in establishing Amotekun, a situation he would correct if elected governor.

Aiyedatiwa replies

However, Mr Aiyedatiwa said his opponent lied and that no such withdrawal was made.

“How can I withdraw N1.2 billion for the Edo election? I was not contesting any election in Edo, and the budget is there published online for anyone to verify,” said Mr Aiyedatiwa.

When asked to disclose how much was his security vote, Mr Aiyedatiwa said, “I cannot discuss that here because it is a security matter.”

Mr Ajayi also challenged Mr Aiyedatiwa to mention the amount he drew as security votes if he claimed it was not up to N1.2billion.

“If you say it is not N1.2 billion, tell us how much you collected as security votes, if it is N2, tell us,” Mr Ajayi said.

But the governor insisted that those who seek information on the security votes should peruse the state appropriation act published online.

However, the appropriation act usually does not have any subhead as security votes from which any such information could be gleaned.

The candidates, however, admitted that the state has security challenges and that they would work out strategies to strengthen the existing network to make the state safer.

On the economy, education

On the economy, Mr Ajayi said the state government had continued to allow the state to run without any industry, raising the state’s level of poverty.

He promised to open the highways to the riverine areas so that jobs could be created.

Mr Aiyedatiwa, however, disagreed, saying there were already existing industries that had granted jobs to residents in the past few years.

He also promised to do more to create more jobs and increase growth in the state.

On education, Mr Ajayi lamented the state of education, saying there were only two teachers in the primary school in his village.

He said the incumbent governor was only mouthing the development of education, saying he would change the face of education when he becomes governor.

Governor Aiyedatiwa said he had embarked on a massive renovation of schools and recruitment of teachers across the schools.