A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Hon. Demola Ijabiyi, has publicly dissociated himself from a recent vote of confidence passed on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa by leaders of the Akoko axis of the party.
In a strongly worded press release issued on Sunday, Ijabiyi, a respected elder and party leader from Afin in Akoko North West Local Government Area, said although he was invited and consulted ahead of the meeting held on Saturday, May 31, he chose not to attend due to personal reservations.
“I was not only invited to the meeting, I was privy to the discussions and consultations that led to it. The Convener, Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan, specifically discussed the meeting with me and even pleaded that I attend,” he revealed.
While Ijabiyi affirmed his unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he praised for his bold reforms and leadership vision, he declined to extend the same endorsement to Governor Aiyedatiwa. According to him, the governor has not demonstrated enough performance or direction to merit such public backing.
“Both of us are members of the same party. That should normally compel my support for him. But as a leader and elder of the party, he is yet to earn my vote based on his performance,” he stated.
The veteran politician acknowledged receiving personal patronage from the governor in the past but emphasized that such private gestures cannot substitute for tangible public service delivery. He criticized the governor’s approach to governance, citing a lack of innovation, transparency, and visible legacy projects in the seventeen months he has held office.
“I do not know his programmes for the state. I do not know where he is leading us. I have no information on the state’s monthly allocations and internally generated revenues,” he said. “There are no single legacy or monumental projects.”
Ijabiyi also condemned what he described as misplaced priorities by the Aiyedatiwa-led administration, citing the reported N9 billion allocated to construct luxurious residences for cabinet members and another N3.7 billion on a park project.
“These types of priorities are puzzling,” he lamented.
Drawing from personal and communal experience, Ijabiyi painted a grim picture of infrastructural decay and government neglect in his constituency. He noted that roads linking Afin, Ese, Irun, and Ogbagi are virtually impassable, with Ese completely cut off. He decried the poor state of education in the area, where local associations now pay teachers to fill critical gaps.
“Schools in my hometown of Afin are in a sorry state. The Afin Development Association has to recruit and be paying some teachers to help out,” he disclosed.
Beyond Akoko, Ijabiyi mentioned the dilapidated conditions of roads leading to his residences in Akure and the long-standing failure to provide piped water from major sources like Owena and Awara dams.
“I remain the provider of my own water,” he said, questioning the status of long-promised water projects.
The elder statesman concluded by asserting that the discontent among the people is growing, and as a party leader often confronted by constituents, he finds it difficult to defend the governor’s performance.
“The grumbling in town is deafening,” he noted. “It is against this background that I cannot be part of the vote of confidence passed on him. He must change if he must have my confidence.”
Ijabiyi’s statement is the first open disavowal by a senior APC figure in the Akoko region since Aiyedatiwa’s emergence as governor, signaling deepening divisions within the party ahead of future political battles.
