N750m Security Vote: Akeredolu Challenges Ajayi to Produce Evidence

Ondo State Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, has challenged his estranged deputy, Agboola Ajayi, to produce evidence supporting his allegation that the governor receives N750 million monthly as security vote.

Ajayi, who was contesting the governorship election on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party, had made the claim through his Media Adviser, Allen Sowore.

He also alleged that Akeredolu received about N150 million monthly as imprest and claimed that members of the governor’s family collected substantial monthly payments despite not holding constitutionally recognised offices.

The allegations were not independently established.

Responding through his Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, Akeredolu rejected the claims and accused Ajayi of spreading false information.

Ajiboye said the deputy governor should provide documentary evidence if he was confident that the alleged N750 million monthly security vote existed.

He also urged members of the public to verify the competing claims through official government records and available transparency mechanisms.

According to the governor’s spokesman, the state bureaucracy responsible for processing such payments could establish whether the figures being cited were accurate.

Ajiboye further accused Ajayi of allowing the political dispute between him and Akeredolu to influence his statements ahead of the October 10 governorship election.

The disagreement over running grants and security votes added another dimension to the increasingly bitter political rivalry between the governor and his deputy as they prepared to contest the election on different political platforms.