••• Aiyedatiwa’s Aide, APC Group Leader Clash Over Control
Fresh cracks have surfaced within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State following a public disagreement between a senior aide to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, and a prominent party chieftain, Otunba Agboola Kelly, over leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign in the state.
The dispute has exposed underlying tensions within the party, as political blocs and support groups jostle for relevance and influence ahead of the next general election.
The controversy followed a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting held in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area, where Prof. Odimayo and other party leaders reportedly resolved that Governor Aiyedatiwa, as the constitutionally recognised leader of the APC in Ondo State, should automatically head President Tinubu’s 2027 campaign in the state once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifts the ban on political campaigns.
Speaking after the meeting, Odimayo was quoted as saying that it should be mandatory for President Tinubu to allow Governor Aiyedatiwa lead his re-election campaign in Ondo.
“We want President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make it a matter of compulsion that Governor Aiyedatiwa leads his campaign in Ondo State in the 2027 general elections. We cannot afford to have two leaders in our state, as the governor is the leader of the party. This is what we want in our state during the 2027 general elections,” he stated, attributing the position to resolutions reached at the meeting.
However, Otunba Agboola Kelly, the state coordinator of the APC Elders Movement for Tinubu, reacted on Saturday, warning party members against making what he described as “provocative statements” capable of igniting internal crisis.
Kelly described Odimayo as “overzealous,” accusing him of political overreach and attempting to manufacture a crisis for personal advantage.
“What Simidele Odimayo and his co-travellers are doing is clear – they want to curry favour in Abuja by manufacturing a crisis that does not exist. Their personal ambitions must not be allowed to overheat the polity or sow seeds of disaffection,” Kelly said.
He emphasised that President Tinubu’s re-election campaign is a national project and that independent support groups do not require the permission or approval of any individual to mobilise support for the President.
Drawing parallels with the 2024 Ondo governorship election, Kelly noted that multiple support groups worked for Governor Aiyedatiwa without undermining his authority.
“Just as we had LACO, Friends of Lucky, Aiyedatiwa Vanguard, Youths for Lucky, Women for Aiyedatiwa, and many others during the 2024 election, the same will happen in 2027. These groups will only complement the official campaign structure coordinated by the governor,” he said.
Kelly warned Odimayo and his associates to desist from comments capable of destabilising the party, stressing that the unity currently enjoyed by the APC in Ondo State was hard-won.
“The peace and unity currently enjoyed in Ondo APC were hard-won. We will not watch selfish individuals import crisis where none exists,” he added.
He further alleged that the push for a “sole leadership structure” around Governor Aiyedatiwa was a response to the growing influence of independent Tinubu support groups allegedly backed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
“The truth is that the groups sponsored by the Honourable Minister are doing very well across the state. They are projecting Mr President more aggressively, more visibly, and more effectively than anyone else. The move by Odimayo is simply a response to Tunji-Ojo’s rising influence,” Kelly claimed.
In a swift response, Prof. Odimayo dismissed Kelly’s interpretation of the Ore stakeholders’ meeting, insisting that his comments had been misunderstood and taken out of context.
According to him, it would be illogical to suggest that President Tinubu needed to appoint Governor Aiyedatiwa as campaign leader when the governor is already the automatic leader of the APC in the state by virtue of his office.
“There is a misrepresentation. I cannot be saying Tinubu should make Aiyedatiwa the campaign leader. He is already the leader of the party in the state by virtue of being governor – just as the President is the party leader at the federal level,” Odimayo said.
While maintaining that position, the governor’s aide argued that Aiyedatiwa’s popularity and performance naturally make him the rallying point for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid in Ondo State.
He also dismissed claims that independent support groups pose any threat, stating that their existence is tied to the governor’s performance.
“Aiyedatiwa won in all 18 local governments – an unprecedented feat in Ondo State. People love him. Carrying him along will give better votes for President Tinubu in 2027,” Odimayo said.
“Every other person campaigning is doing so because Aiyedatiwa is performing. They feel their efforts can help the governor too,” he added.
