Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has received multiple petitions against his former Special Adviser on Transportation, Olugbenga Omole, accusing him of arrogance, high-handedness, and mismanagement of party resources
Aiyedatiwa will be inaugurated as Ondo State Governor on Feb. 24 after winning the November 16, 2024 governorship election.
The governor had on January 15, sacked his Commissioners and Special Adviser including Omole.
Thefrontrank also reports that the petitioners accused Omole, a former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, of high-handedness and bad leadership while in office.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Ward 4, Agba-Oka, in Akoko South West Local Government, in a petition against the former lawmaker, cited concerns over his divisive and autocratic leadership style.
The petition follows an earlier letter dated November 29, 2024, which highlighted issues of arrogance, high-handedness, and mismanagement of party resources by Omole
The APC leaders appealed for the appointment of political office holders to reflect the values of equity, inclusion, competence, and loyalty to the party.
They emphasized the need for individuals with good character, electoral value, and a genuine commitment to party unity and progress, to be considered for political appointments.
“APC in Ward 4 is facing significant challenges due to Omole’s bad leadership style, which has alienated many loyal party members.
“We are concerned that Omole lacks the necessary leadership qualities to unify the party, mobilise members, and contribute to electoral success.
“This issue started when Omole was endorsed by late Gov. Akeredolu for a second term in the state House of Assembly.
“However, his controversial bad leadership style and arrogance led to his rejection by party leaders and members, resulting in the loss of the ticket.
“There are fears that appointing Omole to a political position would exacerbate the situation, increasing his arrogance and potentially causing harm to the party,” they stated.
However, APC executives in Ward 4, Oka-Akoko, In a counter petition, declared their support for Omole, condemning the petitions written by some party leaders in the ward.
The executives said they wanted to set the record straight, and condemned the petition, which they alleged, was written by a few individuals sponsored by external forces outside Ward 4 and Oka Akoko.
“This so called petition lacks merit and is not only deceitful, and mischievous, but also total blackmail against our leader, Akogun Olugbenga Omole.
“After reading the petition we could not see one genuine or reasonable point in all what these individuals who some have been a beneficiary of Hon. Omole kind gesture.
“These individuals and their paymasters were nowhere to be found when Omole was the face of Aiyedatiwa and one of the major voice in Oka, the entire Akoko and in Ondo State against your purported impeachment when you were the deputy governor.
“They and their sponsors were rooting for and supporting other governorship aspirants when Omole rallied all relevant stakeholders.
“He rallied leaders and members of APC in Oka and the entire Akoko to support your excellency at the primary election which you won convincingly in Oka Akoko and the entire Ondo State.
“During the just concluded local government election, when some of these petition writers did not even come home to vote, Omole was on ground to make sure the candidates of the party won and he supported them financially,” the executives said.
According to them, in all the political appointments Omole has gotten, he has shown competency, dedication and high intelligence, which has made him more popular and relevant beyond Oka Akoko.
“This is the reason these elements and their sponsors are afraid that if Omole is once again appointed by you into a good position, his popularity and relevance will increase, but they forgot that they are not God that rules the affairs of men.
“They wrote about loyalty, they forgot that Omole is not a stranger to you and that you can testify to his dedication and loyalty to any cause he believed in.
“Today Omole is the Akogun of Oka Land, a prestigious honourary chieftaincy title reserved for the very best Omoluabi and courageous Oka son,” the leaders said.
One of the leaders of the party told Thefrontrank that Omole was “too desperate to get appointment in Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s cabinet, running down and going after anybody he believes can obstacles to his aspiration.”
