My deputy tried to unseat me even though I paid him N13m monthly —Akeredolu

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Thursday opened up on his frosty relationship with his deputy, Agboola Ajayi.

The duo’s poor relationship forced the embattled deputy governor to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July.

He later defected to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) after failing to secure the PDP ticket for the October 10 governorship election in the state.

Akeredolu, who featured in a Radio personality programme in Akure, the state capital, said he gave Ajayi a “free hand” to operate in his government but he later betrayed him.

He claimed that the deputy governor attempted to unseat him.

The governor also insisted that Ajayi was the highest-paid deputy governor in the country.

Akeredolu, however, said he was ready to forgive all his detractors.

He said: “l ensured that Ajayi was well paid in order to make him comfortable in office despite all warnings from different quarters that he should not entrust Ajayi with power.

“Ajayi does not want to wait for his time. I made him comfortable. I asked him to represent me in so many places but some people were warning me, I said they should leave him alone.

“No deputy governor has collected what he was collecting in the history of the state. I gave him N13million monthly. His predecessors did not collect as much as that.

READ ALSO: ‘Akeredolu must account for OSOPADEC funds,’ Ajayi blasts governor ahead of Ondo election

“No deputy governor collects as much as that in Nigeria. I gave him enough room to operate yet he betrayed me.”

He also said his predecessor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, was envious of his achievement.

Akeredolu added: “There are things that create envy in a persons’ mind. I believe Mimiko is jealous of me and does not want anyone to equal his achievements. But I will equal and surpass him.

“We have been doing our best for this state. All the abandoned projects of the past administration had been completed.

“We have rehabilitated and constructed over 700 primary schools in this state.

“We have improved our education system. We have received a loan to complete the abandoned Owena Water Project. We will do it.

“We are also working five dams. There are so many things in our plans to do for the state.”

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