By Kunle Omotehinse

One of the problems facing us in Ondo State is the love bond between the governor and the wife. Really, it is natural that love and affection should abound in marriage but when you cannot separate your office from the management of the state resources except your wife interferes, then the bindings of the wife dominates.

While Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is the governor of the State, his wife, Betty-Ayanwu Akeredolu, who is from Imo State, is the defacto Deputy Governor, while their son, Babajide Akeredolu, is the defacto Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly who is in charge of appropriation of our commonwealth in the State.

The circumlocution is simply because the most important aspects of the Ondo State government are governed by three family members aforementioned. The state power is in the hands of Akeredolu, the governor of the State, while OSOPADEC – Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, is in the hands of Betty (wife of the governor) and the tax office where all the monies being generated into state account, is being controlled by the Governor’s first son, Babajide Akeredolu.

The three governorship candidates going into Ondo State Governorship election are married but only one person among them is married from Ondo State. So, if our experience with Akeredolu won’t fail us, then we must not allow another external marriage to further impoverish Ondo State state.

Akeredolu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) married Betty from Imo State. Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) married Eno, Mrs Eno Jegede, from Calabar, while Agboola Ajayi married an Ilaje woman, Chief (Mrs) Ajewole Agboola Ajayi JP.

The point here is that if we again vote Akeredolu who is married to a tough Igbo woman who sees the opportunity of cashing out on daily basis to Imo State while she holds sway to OSOPADEC as her personal business, coupled with her son, Babajide as the head of Ondo State tax office, then, the State is doomed once more, especially now that we have the opportunity to replace them.

Eyitayo Jegede is not different from Akeredolu because his wife is also from Akwa Ibom State. We don’t want double governor in Ondo State again where the wife of the governor would take her wallet share of State resources to either Imo or Calabar.

We are so lucky to have Hon. Agboola Ajayi, an Apoi man from Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State as the only alternative. Ajayi married to a princess who hails from Mahin kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of the STATE.

Mrs Chief Ajayi is quiet and quintessentially bred. She will never arrogate or surrogate herself as a de-facto deputy governor and whatever she gets being the wife of the governor in case her husband is elected, would remain in Ondo State. There would not be any record of capital flight to either Imo or Akwa Ibom State.

We’re lucky to have Chief Mrs Ajewole Ajayi as the incoming first lady of Ondo state. Let’s rescue Ondo State now because it might be too late in another four years.

Kunle Omotehinse wrote in from Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.