H. E, Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the Ondo state scheduled gubernatorial election, has hinted that it will be impossible for the state governor, and the candidate of the All People’s Congress ( APC) Lucky Aiyedatiwa , to operate his recently announced Amotekun Rangers successfully, since it’s a stolen idea which he does not have the operational manual.
Governor Aiyedatiwa had announced the formation of the Amotekun Rangers from the existing Amotekun, being the state’s internal security measure, put together to compliment efforts of the police to combat the growing insecurity in the state.
Reacting to the development however, former Deputy Governor in the state, Ajayi, said the scheme can not operate successfully, because the governor does not have the operational manual.
Fielding questions from newsmen in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Ajayi said the Amotekun Rangers idea is not that of Aiyedatiwa.
” The Rangers idea can not work because the governor does not have the manual of the programme. In actual fact, the idea is our idea and we named it Forest Guard, It’s our own initiated panacea to the growing insecurity in the state, designed to strengthen the existing Amotekun”
Ajayi maintained that he has been campaigning with the scheme without making public it’s operational modalities.
” The governor picked our idea and went to town without knowing how it will work , that is why you have not heard anything about the scheme beyond the day it was announced, since he first need to get for the manual” the gubernatorial hopeful said.
Berating the governor for not being humble enough to ask for his help as “it has become obvious he needed one” Ajayi said ” You can not give what you don’t have. I was part of the brain behind Amotekun my input to the program was much and Forest Guard is suppose to be an improvement on the general Amotekun scheme itself.
” The moment we announced it as one of the measures we will use to maintain security in the state, the governor rushed out with Rangers. What is Rangers suppose to do?
” He should have contacted me for details of the scheme and I would have gladly oblige him because it’s in the interest of the state. It does not matter who is the Governor at the moment, I will be ready to assist for as long as it’s in the interest of our people” Ajayi said.
According to the former House of Reps member, he will not shy away from helping the people at any time because of the confidence and faith they have in him.
” Our people know me. They know what I can do. It’s the reason they continue to defect from the trial and error environment to our party, that’s why I am confident too, that “even though we are contesting against an incumbent government, we will win, because the government has failed the people but they trust me that’s why they are clamouring for Agbo everywhere and the government is jittery already, but it is what it is.
“The reason our people are comfortable with me is because they are aware of my record of service. They are testimonies to what I have done in the past in terms of delivering dividends of democracy, they know I won’t toy with their future by operating a trial and error government” Ajayi said
” As Rep member, a lot of people felt my impact in terms of provision of infrastructures, even when some of my projects were bungled by the NDDC.
“For instance, I was able to influence a road that would have cut across the entire Delta and Ondo states. It was then the biggest project at NNDC valued at over 30 billion naira. It was to take off from Ugbo and link Delta state.
” The contract was awarded but the contractor messed up. This was not unconnected with the lack of synergy between the Commission and our people then , some of us did register our pessimism at the ability of the contractor to handle the project at the time actually. We have to stop experimenting with the future of our people. I am sure NDDC must have spent over 5billion naira on that Project without anything to show for it”
Ajayi said he initiated the bridge that should have linked Agadagba to Arogbo, “The bridge was to cost 6.3 b, the contractor was mobilised but NDDC could not continue. he reported.
