Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State governor has embarked on a trouble-shooting campaign to repair the years long strained relationship between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Senator-elect, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice.
The strained relationship between the duo dates back to the 2015 governorship primaries which was won by Akeredolu.
Boroffice and others including Chief Olusola Oke and Dr Olusegun Abraham challenged the result of the governorship primaries but the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, threw out their petitions. Abraham’s case against Akeredolu had since been thrown out by the Supreme Court on technical grounds.
The Boroffice group including a former deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi and former chairman of the party Hon lsaac Kekemeke, decided to remain in the party despite being sidelined by Akeredolu.
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Akeredolu was believed to have tried to stop Boroffice during the last senatorial primaries but the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party gave automatic tickets to Boroffice and the other two senators representing the state.
Akeredolu was believed to have then sponsored his friend, Dr Tunji Abayomi in the Action Alliance, AA, in a bid to sack Boroffice. However, Boroffice won the election with a wide margin.
Reports had it that Ekiti state governor decided to intervene after the not too good performance of the APC in the state in the presidential elections in which the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar won in Ondo.
Aside Fayemi, former South-West National Vice Chairman of the APC, Chief Pius Akinyelure had equally intervened but to no avail.
Fayemi’s intervention is said to be in the overall interest of the APC ahead of Saturday’s House of Assembly election.
Reacting, Mr. Segun Ajiboye, chief press secretary to the governor, denied knowledge of the trouble shooting efforts of Fayemi.
Ajiboye, however said that the governor was not averse to like minds ready “to join hands with him in the patriotic task of building a new Ondo State.
However, the Director General of Senator Boroffice Campaign Organisation in the last election, Barrister Tolu Babaleye confirmed the intervention of the party leaders including Governor Fayemi in reconciling Akeredolu and Boroffice.
“It is true that some leaders of our great party including the respected Governor of Ekiti State Dr Kayode Fayemi and Chief Pius Akinyelure have reached out to Senator Boroffice with the aim of bringing him to the same “table of peace” with the Governor of Ondo State in the overall interest of the state and the party,” he said.
