BTO’S Ministerial appointment: The first Political blow against Aketi

The governorship Ambition of Mr Wale Akinterinwa and Dr Jimoh Ibrahim may suffer shipwreck in Ondo 2024, based on the present political permutation of Aso rock’s influence

The recent news of a minister-designate from Ondo state caught many people unaware. Their expectations were cut short upon hearing the name of Hon. Bunmi Tunji Ojo, popularly called BTO. He is a second-term member of the House of Representatives who served as the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC in the last dispensation and is currently the newly appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Works. Many names had been rumoured for this position, from Barr. Isaac Kekemeke, Barr. Shola Iji, Dr. Bamidele O., Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, Barr. Ademola Adegoroye, and a few others. However, not many individuals, like Jimmy Adekanye, known as JAF, gave any insinuation of a possible nomination of this parliamentarian as the next minister of the state.

There is a lot to learn from Hon. BTO’s appointment. To start with, considering the emergence of Aketi in Ondo state’s politics in 2012, he was sponsored by the Jabagan of Borgu with cash and kind in the historic money-engulfing campaign of ACN against the incumbent Labour Party of Dr Olusegun Mimiko. However, like other people who had been repaid with the ungrateful attitude of Arakunrin, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu regretted ever considering the current ailing governor for the position. When the opportunity presented itself in 2016, the present Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria didn’t think twice before supporting Dr Olusegun Abraham from Ikare Akoko.

At the end of the day, destiny had its way, and Aketi was elected the governor, not without all the political Abracadabra in the APC primary of the governorship for that year. Following his swearing-in, Arakunrin suddenly became the Lord of the Minor, holding sway over the political happenings in the sunshine state with his beloved family members, courtesy of Betty and Babajide Akeredolu. As a mature politician with the goal of ruling the country, the former governor of Lagos state tolerated Aketi until the period he won the last presidential election and later was sworn in as the number one citizen of the country. As stipulated by the Nigerian constitution, the ministerial designates were mentioned today at the floor of the senate, with at least, one per state. However, only the first batch was announced, and Hon. Bunmi Tunji Ojo represents the state in the next federal cabinet of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.

Another lesson is that Aketi’s group tried to show up with their stunt, initially guessed to have nominated his kinsman, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, a seasoned civil servant who ended his career at the peak of the echelon as the Head of Service in the state. He had his tenure extended by Arakunrin and was subsequently appointed as special adviser to the governor on civil service. This man is also said to be among the popular Owo-cabals who have given H.E. Lucky Aiyedatiwa sleepless nights as the acting governor. He was said to have been rejected by the presidency, and Aketi quickly switched his support to Hon. Ademola Adegoroye, the immediate past Minister of State for Transportation. Following the announcement of Hon. Bunmi Tunji Ojo, it’s crystal clear that Aketi’s group has lost out in the first litmus test of their popularity with the presidency, and it’s a bad omen that Arakunrin may have little or no influence on who succeeds him when the chips are down.

The Akoko’s parliamentarian, believed to be a political son of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the current Chief of Staff to the president, might have lobbied for Hon. BTO’s current appointment. He has proven many political watchers wrong with their earlier predictions of more formidable and experienced politicians for this current ministerial assignment. Also, the great fear must have saturated many governorship aspirants in Ondo State in 2024, like Mr Wale Akinterinwa and Barr. Jimoh Ibrahim, who built their fates on Aketi’s endorsement. For example, the Ile-Oluji-born financial expert, with a history of being the longest-serving commissioner for finance in Ondo State, Mr Akinterinwa, started with Tinubu’s camp, which earned him the commissionership position under Dr Mimiko’s administration. He was said to be the Jabagan of Borgu’s nominee in the earlier days of Gbasibe’s government. He later lost out when Asiwaju had a problem with Dr Mimiko due to political differences.

As a loyal disciple of Tinubu, Mr Wale Akinterinwa was expected to support Asiwaju’s candidate, Dr Olusegun Abraham, for the 2016 elections, but he chose otherwise and preferred Aketi, for which he was rewarded with the Chief Financial Officer position in Ondo State for the last six years. Before the onset of this ongoing saga about his health, Aketi was rumoured to have endorsed Mr Wale Akinterinwa as a possible successor. In the same vein, Dr Jimoh Ibrahim, as a formidable aspirant, blew up his golden chance of a relationship with Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu by supporting Sen. Abdulaziz Yari instead of Sen. God’swill Akpabio, who was endorsed by all the party bigwigs for the last senate presidency.

My honest advice for the aspirants who are interested in the governorship of Ondo in 2024 is for them not to waste their money on any party leadership like fake Eng. Ade Adetimehin and the usuals of Aketi’s family. The intending governor of the state needs to go and win with the presidency, as it’s obvious that Tinubu means business, and the format of Lagos state that produced Fashola, Ambode, and Sanwo-Olu will definitely come into play while the next governor for the sunshine state may emerge through Baba Sope, i.e., Tinubu’s endorsement. Kindly watch out.

Dr. Akeredolu O.N, Leader of Aketi Medical Team 2016, Vice Chairman, Aketi-Aiyedatiwa Medical Committee 2020