How Buhari's boys stepped on Tinubu's toes, delivered Ondo for Akeredolu

Loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari in the All Progressives Congress (APC), some of whom are cabinet members, on Sunday successfully delivered on their first political assignment in the lead up to the 2019 elections, with the election of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the Ondo State governor-elect.



According to ThisDay Newspaper, Ondo election is an indication of power tussle within the ranks of the APC for the South-west geopolitical zone, with loyalists of the president, on the one side, and those loyal to a National Leader of the party, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the other, who backed Dr. Olusegun Abraham for the APC ticket.

Those believed to have taken part in the execution of the plan to deliver the state and are now regarded as “Buhari’s Boys” are the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; and his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Party sources, who confided in ThisDay said they were spurred by political expediency to show strength and capacity by mobilising all the resources at their disposal to ensure that the candidate of the president, Akeredolu, who was openly rejected by Tinubu won the election in the hotly contested race in Ondo.

Akeredolu was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after polling 244,842 votes.