The Peoples Democratic Party has issued a stern warning to the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, against funding the 2023 senatorial election of his wife, Betty, in Imo State with Ondo state funds.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, the party alleged that there are insinuations Akeredolu will use Ondo State resources to fund the campaign of his wife on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Imo State.
The party further alleged that Akeredolu gave away some of the Free School Shuttle buses bought by the immediate administration to Imo State.
Peretei said: “Betty’s senatorial aspiration has been clinically conceptualised immediately after Akeredolu was sworn in as governor.
“The first sign was that, some of the Free School Shuttle buses bought by the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko government for easy movement of school children were sighted in Owerri.
“Of the over 95 buses, not more than 20 are parked at the premises of the Ministry of Works at various levels of decay.
” The Ondo State Government has not told the people the whereabout of the remaining buses.
“If the government says it has no money to run the buses, one will expect to see the buses on ground. The missing buses may have been used to oil the ‘back to my roots’ project.
“Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, ranks amongst wives in the corridor of power who know exactly what to do with the enormous influence and lush funds available to their husbands.
“Mrs Betty Akeredolu is desirous of joining the league of wives of former governors in the Nigerian Senate.
“The first was Senator Zainab Kure, wife of former Governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure. Zainab was elected to represent Niger South Senatorial District in 2007 at the end of her husband’s second term as Governor.
“The other person is Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of APC leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a two term Governor of Lagos State. Senator Remi was elected to represent Lagos Central Senatorial District in 2011. She was re-elected in 2015 and 2019.
“While l wish Ada Owere the very best of luck in the 2023 Senatorial election, she must remember that, those former governors wives who contested senatorial elections did so, where their husbands reigned as governors.
“Akeredolu will be unable to do anything in the Imo contest apart from squandering our lean resources to service some politicians in Imo State who will never tell Betty the truth.”
