The political atmosphere in Ondo State heated up on Thursday after the Director Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wándé Ajayi, issued a scathing critique of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, accusing him of running a government driven by insecurity, isolation and poor stakeholder engagement.
Ajayi, in a widely circulated article titled “Leadership By Inclusion vs Leadership By Insecurity: The Ekiti–Ondo Divide,” compared Aiyedatiwa unfavourably with Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, alleging that the Ondo governor had abandoned inherited projects and pushed away key political actors out of fear and suspicion.
He claimed that the administration had prioritised “optics over substance,” insisting that the state was lagging behind due to what he described as the governor’s “solo approach to governance.”
But the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state dismissed the article as a poorly disguised partisan attack.
APC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, in a strongly worded statement, accused the PDP spokesman of peddling “theatrical fiction” rather than credible analysis.
He said Ajayi’s claims were “hollow, misleading and designed to smear the governor.”
Otaloro argued that Aiyedatiwa inherited a tense political environment and restored stability without engaging in vendettas.
He maintained that major legacy projects — including the Akure–Ondo Road, Araromi–Lekki Corridor, Owena Water Scheme and UNIMED Teaching Hospital upgrades — are ongoing and actively funded.
The APC spokesman listed road construction, healthcare expansion, revenue automation and agricultural programmes as evidence of progress, insisting that governance in the state is “data-driven and development-focused.”
He accused the PDP of attempting to score political points by creating a false comparison between Ekiti and Ondo, adding that Ajayi’s piece was “heavy on adjectives and light on facts.”
The exchange has triggered renewed debate over the performance of the Aiyedatiwa administration as both parties intensify their messaging ahead of the next election cycle.
