Leaders and members of Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG) across the 18 Local Government Areas of Ondo State have condemned, in the most unequivocal terms, the inability of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to build sustainable cohesion with the various organs of the party saying he is currently incapable of delivering Ondo State for the APC in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
The AMG, who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State, at a press conference on Wednesday in Akure, however, said if Governor Aiyedatiwa is not ready to build the house together so that every stakeholder can play their part, “his leadership will cost us the presidency in this state. We cannot afford to go into a critical national election with a house led by a general who has alienated his own troops.”
According to the group, “a tree does not make a forest, and no governor, no matter how powerful, is greater than the party structure that produced him. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has shown a blatant lack of respect for the founding fathers- the owners of the party, elders, and established leaders he met in the Ondo State APC.
“These are men and women who poured their sweat, resources, and decades of political capital into stabilising the State and delivering victories for the APC. To bypass them, treat their counsel with contempt, and relegate them to the background of state affairs is not just an insult to their people; it is a direct assault on the institutional memory of our political family.
Olumuyiwa Asagunla, the Director-General of Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), during the press conference said that “it is deeply ironic and tragic to witness the short political memory of Governor Aiyedatiwa.”
According to him, “not long ago, when the dark clouds of impeachment loomed over him as Deputy Governor, it was the collective resilience, institutional support, and structural defence of this party, its leaders, elders, and organs that shielded him and preserved his political career. When he ran for the governorship, the entire state party apparatus stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, giving him total, unalloyed support to ensure his victory.
“Yet, upon securing the executive seat, the Governor has chosen to repay loyalty with disdain, sidelining the original party owners, leaders and elders. He has allowed arrogance and pride to cloud his judgment, treating the very party structure that birthed his administration as a disposable footstool. A leader who cannot manage success without alienating his benefactors is bound for an administrative awakening. We, therefore, strongly condemn, in the most unequivocal terms, the Governor’s inability to build sustainable cohesion with the various organs of the party.”
Asagunla said further “for a sitting Governor to be unable to mobilise even a minor fraction, let alone half, of the registered voters in his own home turf is a terrible indictment. This shocking voter apathy and collapsed turnout is a direct testament to the fact that the grassroots have been completely alienated by the Governor’s arrogance.
“Let this serve as a stark, unequivocal warning to the National Leadership of the APC; Governor Aiyedatiwa is currently incapable of delivering Ondo State for the APC in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
“Regrettably, driven by an obsessive need to satisfy his ego and install absolute loyalists, the Governor began to push to replace experienced legislators from Ondo State with politically naive individuals who know nothing about the complex manoeuvres of the National Assembly.
“This reckless move, if succeeded, would amount to a total waste of Ondo State’s slots in the federal parliament. It proves that the Governor is not forward-thinking; he would rather diminish Ondo State’s federal influence just to validate his absolute control.
“We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch a single individual jeopardise the collective destiny of our party and our State. Politics is a game of numbers, compromise, and mutual respect, not an avenue for personal tyranny.
“We want to direct a special, heartfelt appeal to our Leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR). Mr. President, we implore you to look passionately into the political wilderness that Ondo State is fast
becoming. We refuse to fold our arms and watch your monumental labour, structural investments, and relentless efforts to secure a solid footprint for our great party in the South-West be thrown into complete waste due to the cluelessness and administrative narcissism of a single man. Ondo State has always been a dependable vanguard for your progressive vision, but Governor Aiyedatiwa’s isolationist approach is rapidly eroding that foundation.
“We also call on the National Chairman of the APC and the National Working Committee (NWC), who we believe are not alien to these ongoing developments, to immediately intervene before it is too late. Governor Aiyedatiwa must be reminded that he is a product of the party, not its master. The systematic exclusion must stop, the disrespect to our leaders must end, and a genuine, all-inclusive reconciliation process must be initiated immediately to restore sanity and order to our ranks.”
The group, however, called on President Tinubu to urgently step in, and exercise fatherly authority to rescue the Ondo State APC from an ego-driven wreckage before the damage becomes entirely irreversible ahead of 2027 general elections.
BusinessDay reports that the group, under the leadership and guidance of the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is one of the support groups championing the re-election of President Tinubu.
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