Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) governorship candidate in Ondo State's upcoming November 16 gubernatorial election, lashed out at Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over his recruitment of 344 aides this weekend.

According to Ajayi, the hiring of the aides as Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs) was a ruse to influence the election.

The PDP governorship candidate raised worry that the aides' abrupt appointments three months before the election appear to be ward canvassers for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Aiyedatiwa announced on Friday that the appointments were scattered across the state's 18 local government regions, 33 local council development zones, and 203 political wards, emphasizing that the appointments will improve seamless governance.

Ajayi, in a statement made by his campaign organization's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, condemned the move as criminal, claiming that the aides were assigned with no specified roles or obligations.

Ajayi went on to say that the massive pay that will be paid to the newly appointed aides will be a complete waste of state cash in light of the economic slump and hardships that the people are experiencing.

He stated, "The appointment of 344 aides on Friday is a ridiculous action of a governor who is at sea over choices to make for the advancement of our state, largely confused over what should extend the frontiers of our development, but chose to pursue petty partisanship desires at the expense of good government."

"Appointing 344 aides with no specified governmental tasks or defined functions is criminal, especially given that their monthly salary would cost the government almost N1.2 billion.

"In fact, their number and the resources to be spent on them are sufficient to launch a new ministry." We proclaim that it is foolish and wrong for Lucky Aiyedatiwa to appoint APC Ward Candidates as Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants; Ondo State has never been this unlucky.”