By Steve Otaloro
Wande Ajayi, PDP publicity secretary’s recent commentary, an extravagant blend of speculation, embellished analogy, and fundamentally flawed assumptions, deserves an immediate and rigorous correction. His attempt to dress fiction in the robes of political analysis does not merely mislead; it betrays a shallow comprehension of governance, institutional continuity, and policy execution in a complex state like Ondo.
His narrative is a case study in how rhetorical flourish can be weaponized to mask intellectual emptiness.
Ajayi’s principal misrepresentation is the false claim that Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa inherited a serene political environment. This is historical revisionism. The governor assumed responsibility during one of the most constitutionally delicate and emotionally charged transitions in our state’s history.
He met:
• a bureaucracy unsettled by a prolonged governance vacuum;
• a political structure strained by factional anxiety;
• a state grieving the decline and eventual loss of a sitting governor.
Yet Aiyedatiwa restored equilibrium without theatrics, without purges, and without destabilizing the machinery of government. He preserved institutional memory, maintained fiscal discipline, and ensured governance continuity. This is administrative competence, not the insecurity imagined by Ajayi.
Falsehood of Isolation: A Claim Unsupported by Any Governance Indicator
The accusation that the governor operates in isolation collapses under the weight of data. Aiyedatiwa’s administration has implemented one of the most expansive stakeholder-integration frameworks in the state’s history.
Under his leadership:
• All 18 LGAs have participated in structured community consultations before budget revisions.
• Professional bodies, youth groups, and private-sector actors have been mainstreamed into decision-making processes.
• Boards and agencies now reflect a broader spectrum of expertise and demographic inclusion.
If Ajayi insists on calling this “governance by suspicion,” then he must reform his definition of inclusion. The administration’s model is not theoretical; it is structurally embedded.
Continuity Is Not a Slogan—Ondo State Is Executing It Practically
The accusation that legacy projects have been abandoned is both inflammatory and empirically false. Unlike the writer’s sweeping assertions, the evidence is concrete:
• Akure–Ondo Road: ongoing reconstruction with enhanced contractor oversight.
• Owena Water Scheme: improved funding injections and technical audits to raise delivery capacity.
• Araromi–Lekki Road: periodic disbursements maintained; engineering compliance reports up to date.
• UNIMED Teaching Hospital: continuous capital support to sustain its position as the region’s leading medical institution.
These are not public-relations optics. They are verifiable, policy-driven continuities.
The Administration’s Development Indicators Are Strong, Measured, and Data-Anchored
While Ajayi indulges in metaphor, the government’s scorecard is grounded in measurable outcomes:
• Over 120 kms of new and rehabilitated roads across the state.
• Strengthened Amotekun Corps through enhanced asset procurement, operational intelligence upgrades, and rural patrol integration.
• Primary healthcare optimization, including facility upgrades and human-resource strengthening.
• Digital revenue reforms, eliminating leakages and raising the state’s internally generated revenue baseline.
• Agric-value chain expansion, particularly in cassava processing, poultry clusters, and cooperative-based agribusiness financing.
These are structural reforms that cannot be swept aside by any amount of literary acrobatics.
The Ekiti–Ondo Comparison Is Technically Unsound and Administratively Illiterate
Attempting to measure Ekiti and Ondo with the same developmental yardstick reflects a poor grasp of governance systems. Ekiti and Ondo possess:
• different population burdens,
• different infrastructure backlogs,
• different security obligations,
• different revenue structures, and
• different administrative complexities.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji is performing commendably—but his successes do not translate into an indictment of Ondo. Only a commentator seeking mischief would use Ekiti’s progress as a weaponized narrative against a neighbouring state.
Aiyedatiwa’s Governance Is Marked by Discipline, Stability, and Institutional Decency
Governor Aiyedatiwa has refused to rewrite history, weaponize transition, or personalise governance. He has demonstrated rare maturity in maintaining structures he met, sustaining the legacy of his predecessor, and preventing the descent into factional warfare that often accompanies leadership transitions in Nigeria.
This is the type of leadership that protects a state from political convulsions and administrative paralysis.
Conclusion: Wande Ajayi’s Piece Is a Literary Performance, Not Policy Analysis
His article is rich in metaphor but bankrupt in evidence; noisy in language but silent on facts. Ondo State under Governor Aiyedatiwa stands on a foundation of stability, continuity, and measurable progress. No amount of rhetorical ornamentation can delegitimize the government’s performance.
The people of Ondo State deserve analysis rooted in truth—not commentaries constructed around imagination.
Otaloro is the Director of Media & Publicity, All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo State
