A claim received via the CheckbyMeedan tool alleges that the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2024 Ondo governorship election, Agboola Ajayi, stated that the State’s governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who is also contesting on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), increased the State’s security vote to N1.5 billion.
This claim arises as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to conduct the off-cycle governorship election on November 16, 2024. Political parties have since commenced campaign activities across local government areas in the state as the election approaches.
Governor Aiyedatiwa transitioned from the deputy governor to acting governor, and is now the substantive governor, following the death of Rotimi Akeredolu in December 2023.
The late Akeredolu was first elected governor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. His constitutionally limited two terms in office will expire this year.
Claim: Ondo PDP candidate, Ajayi, said Governor Aiyedatiwa increased the State’s security vote to N1.5 billion.
Verification
A security vote is a monthly allowance allocated to state governors from public funds, to stabilise internal security within the states.
In 2020, Agboola Ajayi, who was then the state’s deputy governor and a gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), reportedly claimed that his boss, Governor Akeredolu, was collecting N750 million monthly as the security vote.
In a more recent development, Ajayi, now running under the PDP, reportedly alleged that Governor Aiyedatiwa receives N1.2 billion monthly as the security vote.
Ajayi claimed that, if elected in the forthcoming November 16 poll, he would redirect part of the security vote towards youth employment. Daily Trust reported that during his campaign tour in Akure North Local Government Area, Ajayi pledged to allocate about N600 million from the security vote to create jobs.
We however found no credible media reports, which support the claim that Ajayi said Aiyedatiwa increased the security vote allowance to N1.5 billion.
Verdict: MISLEADING
The CDD War Room confirms that Ajayi reportedly stated during his campaign tour in Akure that Governor Aiyedatiwa receives N1.2 billion as a security vote allowance and that if elected, he would reallocate part of these funds toward youth employment, specifically using about N600 million to create jobs. We found no credible reports, which support the assertion that the PDP candidate accused his APC counterpart of increasing security vote to N1.5billion.