The People’s Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress in Ondo State have been touring towns and villages in the state, canvassing for votes ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The major opposition and ruling political platforms made boast of clinching top in the forthcoming contest that is about 23 days away.

Shoring support for the candidate of the PDP, Agboola Ajayi, the governor of Oyo State and leader of the South-West zone of the party, Seyi Makinde, said that the victory of PDP will be a liberation for the people of the state.

Makinde, who led Ajayi’s campaign train to the Akoko Area of the state, averred that the PDP candidate would not disappoint his voters and other citizens of Ondo.

The campaign train moved to the towns and villages of Akoko North-West and Akoko North- East Local Government Areas of the state alongside leaders of the party in Oyo and Ondo States.

They also visited the palaces of the Olukare of Ikare, Akadiri Momoh, the Owa-Ale of Ikare Akoko, Adeleke Adegbite-Adedoyin and the Owa of Ogbagi, Victor Adetona.

Addressing the Obas at their various palaces, Makinde promised a cordial relationship with the traditional institution for growth, peace, security and wellness of the state.

Urging crowd at the venue to support PDP, Oyo Governor said their vote is for the liberation of Ondo, noting that Ajayi would ensure security and development.

The PDP candidate, Agboola Ajayi, in his remarks promised to carry along the traditional rulers in his administration.

Ajayi, however, appealed to the traditional rulers in the State to prevail on their subjects not to involve in violence or in any act capable of causing crisis before, during and after the gubernatorial election.

In a similar vein, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Ondo State governor, also boasted of victory, alluding that PDP is no longer in existence in the state.

Aiyedatiwa made this known during his campaign at Igbobini, Kiribo Igbotu, and other communities in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area of the state, the home town and the Local Government of his main challenger, Agboola Ajayi.

The governor said all the gladiators in the PDP had defected to the ruling APC ahead of the poll.

According to him, the people’s support and loyalty to his administration have continued to make the ruling party wax stronger in the State, stressing that his second term has been sealed.

Addressing a crowd that trooped out to welcome him at Igbobini, the governor promised that his administration would continue to initiate more developmental projects across the State if re-elected.

Some indigenes of Rivers State from the Ogoni ethnic group have asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently wade in and settle the feud between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying that the crisis was already affecting the economic growth of the state.

Operating under the aegis of the Ogonis in Diaspora Organisation, the group expressed surprise at Tinubu’s silence on the prolonged political impasse affecting Rivers State’s development, urging him to call Wike to order.

In an open letter to the President, the President of the Ogonis in Diaspora Organisation, Chief Ambrose Kii, noted that Tinubu’s perceived indifference was emboldening Wike to allegedly destabilize the state and undermine Governor Fubara’s administration for personal gain.

They expressed profound disappointment and concern over the President’s continued silence on the deepening political crisis rocking Rivers State, saying Tinubu’s inaction appeared to have been asking the former Rivers governor to relentlessly destabilize and exploit the state instruments.

According to them, the consequences of the President’s silence are dire, adding that Wike’s actions have undermined Governor Fubara’s authority, escalated violence and insecurity, disrupted economic activities, drove investors away, exacerbated unemployment and redundancy, and inflicted untold hardship on Rivers State citizens.

Kii further pointed out that Wike’s actions were in stark contrast to his predecessors, who allowed him to govern the state peacefully without interference.

Kii argued that Wike’s quest for control has brought Rivers State to its knees, telling Tinubu that his intervention is crucial as the entire citizens are already feeling the heat of their clash.

Recall that Rivers State has been experiencing political turmoil since Fubara and Wike’s godfather and son relationship turned sour.

The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has accused the state governor, Ademola Adeleke of politicising some projects of his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola and surreptitiously planning to demolish a flyover constructed by the former governor.

The opposition party made these allegations while addressing journalists in Osogbo on Wednesday.

Speaking for the party, APC chieftain and the immediate past Commissioner for Works in the state, Remi Omowaiye berated Adeleke for raising safety concerns as regards Olaiya bridge constructed by Oyetola’s administration, saying the decision to ban heavy-duty trucks from plying the flyover was ill-conceived and borne out of desire to tarnish his predecessor’s image.

Governor Adeleke had directed the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to ban heavy-duty trucks from plying the Olaiya bridge at the state capital, citing safety reasons arising from the technical reports on the state of the bridge.

The governor who presided over a security council meeting in Osogbo said the decision became necessary to protect the bridge from possible collapse and avoid untoward happenings with continuous passage by heavy trucks.

Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, had said a long lasting review of the technical status of the bridge was being conducted by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

Reacting, Omowaiye who was the commissioner that supervised the flyover project disagreed with Adeleke on the quality of the infrastructure, said all necessary examinations as to the standard of the bridge were carried out and that results showed that the facility is very strong.

He described Adeleke’s approach on the bridge as political and one targeted to paint Oyetola bad in the eyes of the people of Osun.

Omowaiye said Adeleke doesn’t understand governance and that he would be booted out in 2026, claiming that the infrastructural projects embarked upon by the governor are white elephant projects that would eventually fail.

“The decision is political and to tarnish Oyetola’s name. We carried out all necessary examinations and ensured that the flyover is very strong. Adeleke should not allow his dirty politics to destroy our economy. The flyover is assisting the economy and it should not be destroyed. We did pre and post reports and we went to the lab to ensure we have the best bridge built for the people of Osun. The Ministry of Works in Osun cannot say the facility is substandard because they were all aware of the quality assurance. What is important to us is the development of Osun. Oyetola’s legacies should not be destroyed and we appeal to them not to set this state on fire,” he said.

Defending further its quality job on the flyover, Omowaiye said, “We did 150 percent above the load bearing capacity, we carried out various test, we went to FUTA lab, University of Lagos lab and Lagos state materials testing lab which is the best lab in Nigeria all the results are available.

“I challenge Osun State government to come up with the results of the lab they went to, to test all the flyovers they are doing, we want the people of Osun to ask them.

“It came to us as a shock. I was in Osun few weeks ago and we discovered that the whole flyover and its environments have been abandoned; the Solar no longer come up, everywhere is dirty and disgusting, solar light is not coming up, it doesn’t have anything to do with structure capacity of the flyover.

“We are not saying government should not do whatever they want to do but this money belongs to the people of Osun it must be spent judiciously. Don’t come and say you want to demolish Olaiya flyover because of politics. I want them to come out with the technical report that says that bridge has fault, I challenge any engineer that claimed that bridge has fault should come up with the report and put his NSE number.”

Also speaking, another chieftain of APC, Adebayo Adeleke who was Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under Oyetola’s administration, submitted that Adeleke jumped the gun in iis decision on the bridge saying the governor ought to have conducted a test of its quality before pronouncing that trucks should be barred from plying it. He should have appointed committee first before announcing that heavy vehicles should not ply the bridge.

He said, “It should not have been decided at security committee meeting. It shows that the government of Adeleke doesn’t understand governance. They said they will appoint committee that will make quality test and check the strength and then issue reports.”

The former commissioner accused Adeleke of hiring a company without profile and CAC registration that has not not gotten any contract before to handle some of the ongoing projects in the state.

“One of the companies Adeleke hired deals with supply of fertilizer and it is even non-existent. Adeleke should come out and prove whether the companies handling his projects running into billions of naira are not fertilizer suppliers and cyber cafe operator,” he challenged the governor.