The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has denied involvement in the confrontation between his Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi and the state’s Police Commissioner, Bolaji Salami.
A viral video of the Saturday evening confrontation, which circulated on social media on Sunday morning, shows the commissioner preventing Agboola from packing out of his official residence in the Government House in Akure.
Ajayi, who is known to have a frosty relationship with his boss, Akeredolu, was allegedly trying to move out of the official quarters to his private residence at night when Salami and his police escorts barred him.
The police commissioner, allegedly acting on the orders of the governor, also directed the policemen attached to the deputy governor to prevent him from leaving the quarters.
The stand-off was said to have lasted for hours as the deputy governor tried unsuccessfully to have his way.
Read Also: Lockdown: Nigeria’s Economy Will Collapse In 6 Months – Senate Committee Chair
Salami can, however, be heard in the video saying his decision to bar the deputy governor from moving out was predicated on reports that Ajayi was planning to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with All Progressives Congress (APC) vehicles.
“We are not saying you should not go out. Since you are defecting, even your letter was brought to me in my office this evening that you are doing it (decamping) on Monday.
“What government is saying is that you cannot go out with official vehicles. This is politics, I am not saying it is right. This is Government House, the Governor is the one talking, give me a few minutes, let me talk to my boss,” Salami said.
But an infuriated Ajayi fired back, “What is your mission in Ondo state? Are you not a police officer? If I’m leaving a political party today, what Is your business with that? Are you the APC Chairman or PDP Chairman?
“I have tried all constitutional and acceptable means to prevent this crisis. You are being used by the Governor to deprive me of my constitutional right I am highly disappointed that a policeman of your calibre can be used like this.”
Watch video:
This is funny.
The Ondo state Police chief trying to detain the Ondo state Deputy Gov because he decamped from APC to PDP
What concerns the police with him defecting? What concerns the Police with politics? pic.twitter.com/dA0w4dcwzR
— the Morris Monye factor (@Morris_Monye) June 21, 2020
Reacting, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo said that Akeredolu had no knowledge of the confrontation and did not order Salami to detain his deputy.
Ojogo added that the deputy governor ought to have waited for broad daylight before moving out of the premises.
“How can the Commissioner of Police act on the Governor’s instructions? It is not true. The CP said I have a letter that you are defecting and we need to provide security.
“If he wants to move his property out of Government House, must it be at that time of the night? So, the police has every reason to say ‘You can’t move tonight, do it tomorrow morning’,” Daily Independent quoted him as saying.
Read Also: “At 70 I don’t have s*x again” – Charly Boy