The crisis between the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and his deputy, Good luck AiyedatiwaThe situation has escalated when an aide to the governor accused Aiyedatiwa of abandoning government for politics while acting as governor.
Aiyedatiwa served as acting governor for three months until last week, when Akeredolu returned from medical treatment in Germany.
On Tuesday, the governor fired the lieutenant governor’s press aides without giving any reason.
Even before Akeredolu’s return, the governor’s advisors had without corroboration accused Aiyedatiwa of disloyalty to the ailing governor.
Ondo Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa
However, in an appearance on Channels TV on Wednesday night, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Doyin Odebowale, said political intrigues were threatening governance in the state under Mr Aiyedatiwa.
Odebowale linked the alleged intrigues to the politics of the 2024 gubernatorial election in the state.
He said the ambitions of some people in the government, whom he declined to name, distracted the government during the period.
The lieutenant governor has strenuously denied allegations of disloyalty and frosty relationship with the governor over his alleged 2024 gubernatorial ambition.
He became acting governor in June after it became clear that the governor was no longer performing his duties due to his health problems.
The governor returned to the state last week and has since resumed his duties. But insiders indicate that his sour relationship with his deputy will lead to a review of his political alliances before the next election.
Odebowale, while answering questions on the situation in the state government, said some cabinet members took advantage of the governor’s absence to pursue their political ambitions.
Ondo State Government House [PHOTO: Wikipedia]“I can tell you for free that when the governor was absent, there was little governance in Ondo State,” he said.
“People wanted to be governor. It is their right, but they were distracting us and recruiting people to distract us.”
Odebowale said that while the governor was in Germany, he actively participated in the affairs of the state and at times gave instructions on what to do even though there was a sitting governor.
According to him, the event ended the impression that the governor was seriously incapacitated.
“This is about the election and the governor will not compete again,” he said.
“I can tell you that as a member of this government, I was shocked by some of the things that happened.”
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has signed into law the bill creating 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
Asked if Akeredolu was against his MP contesting next year’s elections, Odebowale said the governor had not said so but those with political interests were distracting the government.
“There were publications of the governor’s obituary more than five times. “They wanted power, not to serve the people, they were overheating the political system,” he stated.
“They created the impression that the governor was not in charge of anything. “They messed with the first family.”
He added that although he was messing with the lieutenant governor, those involved “know themselves.”
“No governor is going to sit back and watch that happen,” he said.
“The people voted for the governor and of course elected their deputy to run with him, but they should allow him to die first.”
Odebowale said that now that the governor had returned, “no one talks about the shenanigans that occurred while he was away.”
When asked if there is a plan to remove the deputy governor, Odebowale said the governor was not interested in “petty politics.”
He said the administration will take its full course and that the governor has the right to fire anyone he deems unworthy of their position in government.
Aiyedatiwa is the second person to serve as Deputy Governor of Akeredolu.
Agboola Ajayi, who was deputy governor during Akeredolu’s first term from 2016 to 2020, ran against the governor in the 2020 elections after surviving a recall attempt.