Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has refused suggestions from political allies that he should begin impeachment processes against his deputy, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, The Nation has learnt.

The relationship between Akeredolu and his deputy has broken up over what an aide to the governor described as ‘broken up of excessive trust’.

It was gathered that some politicians approached the governor to either ask Ajayi to resign or face impeachment, but the governor declined and asked that the man be left alone.

The deputy governor has not been seen recently at many public functions.

Sources close to the office of the deputy governor, however, said that the governor would fail in any impeachment plot because the deputy picked the majority of the House of Assembly members.

Some political allies of the deputy governor said he was more grounded in grassroots politics than the governor.

They said the deputy governor had been loyal to Akeredolu, but politicians who wanted political favours painted lies to the governor through his wife.

An aide to the deputy governor, who pleaded anonymity, said the relationship was cordial until Governor Akeredolu started having fears that his deputy would contest against him at the primaries.

But a top government official said the deputy betrayed the trust Akeredolu had in him by attempting to put political structures in place ahead of this year’s governorship election.

The top official said Akeredolu gave free hand to his deputy to nominate political appointees from Ondo South and also allowed him to make nominations during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries ahead of the 2019 general election.

He said: “Akeredolu trusted the deputy in handling political matters. That was why he listened to him to support some candidates to contest on the platform of the Action Alliance.

“But the deputy governor went to Abuja and told them that the governor was not listening to advice. That was what led to Akeredolu’s suspension.

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“We have told the governor to begin impeachment processes, but he said we should allow posterity to judge his deputy.”

Ajayi has disowned a Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) campaign poster and video with his name and picture.

The campaign poster with the picture and name of Ajayi shows he wants to contest for the governorship on the PDP platform.

But the deputy governor said that the campaign poster and video did not emanate from him.

Ajayi, who spoke through his spokesman, Babatope Okeowo, said he is a member of the APC and he has not declared any governorship ambition.

He said the poster and video were the handiwork of some characters bent on creating disharmony in the political space of the state.

According to Ajayi, “recall that a WhatsApp’s group titled ‘Agboola Ajayi 4 Sure 2020’ was created last year by Omobone Tunde to champion the governorship ambition of the deputy governor.”

“The man in question has denied having anything to do with the WhatsApp’s group.

“The deputy governor has also said these characters who see blackmail and propaganda as legitimate tools will paste his governorship posters.

“Once again, the deputy governor did not authorise the purported video or any poster that may emanate from these people.”