Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the November 16 election in Ondo State, has criticized Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s recent appointment of 344 aides.
Ajayi labeled the appointments, which include Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs), as a strategic move to manipulate the upcoming election.
Ajayi expressed skepticism about the timing of these appointments, made just three months before the election, suggesting they are meant to serve as ward canvassers for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Aiyedatiwa had defended the appointments, stating they are distributed across the state’s 18 local government areas, 33 local council development areas, and 203 political wards, with the aim of improving governance.
In response, Ajayi, through a statement from his campaign’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, condemned the move as “criminal.”
He argued that the newly appointed aides have no clear duties or responsibilities, and that the substantial financial outlay required for their remuneration—approximately N1.2 billion monthly—represents a waste of state resources, especially during economic hardships.
Ajayi described the appointment as a reflection of Aiyedatiwa’s confusion and inability to advance the state’s development, accusing him of prioritizing partisan interests over effective governance.
“To appoint 344 aides with no specific governmental responsibilities is a gross misuse of resources,” Ajayi said. “Ondo State has never faced such a level of political manipulation and resource mismanagement.”
