AFTERMATH OF ONDO PDP PRIMARY: Senator sacks 92 aides

FRESH facts emerged weekend over the sack of 92 aides to the Senator representing the Southern Senatorial district in Ondo state, Senator Nicholas Tofowomo.

It was gathered that Senator Tofowomo was infuriated that his preferred candidate for the governorship position, Hon Banji Okunomo lost the primary election to Eyitayo Jegede SAN.

The Senator was further irked that despite placing the aides on a monthly salary of between N50,000 and N100,000 they could not mobilise the delegates to garner enough votes for his preferred candidate in the south. Also, some of the aides that were delegated were accused of selling out to the highest bidder during the just concluded election.

They reportedly voted instead for the deputy governor Hon Agboola Ajayi who defected to the party barely a month ago. Ajayi came second in the governorship primary polling 657 votes while the senator’s preferred candidate came fifth with 90 votes.

The winner of the contest Eyitayo Jegede polled 888 votes. Some of the sacked aides interviewed said that the Senator’s action was a big surprise to them. They described their unceremoniously sack as unfair and wicked. He confirmed that they were appointment a year ago. Speaking with Vanguard in confidence, one of the victims said that all the non-statutory political aides were disengaged According to him, their sack took effect from July 24. However, following public outcry, the Senator through his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Akinrinlola Olumide explained why the aides were sacked.

A statement by Akinrinlola in Akure said that “Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, representing Ondo South Senatorial District at the 9th Assembly, wishes to clarify that the sacking of 92 non-statutory aides is not politically motivated. “Let it also be on record that the disengagement does not have anything to do with the outcome of the PDP primary election because the Senator did not at any point in time participated in the election as one of the governorship aspirants. ”

The public should not attach the outcome of the PDP Primary to the sacking of 92 Aides. “Senator Tofowomo sacked 92 Aides so that he could appoint new party members at the appropriate time because those who worked for him in the PDP to become a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are many, and since the majority of the non-statutory aides have spent up to one year with him, the Senator felt it would be fair if other party members are also allowed to benefit from the monthly payment which between N50,000 to N100,000 from the Senator’s purse. He also explained that the Senator would not leave the PDP for any political party.