By Ayodele Oni
The Ondo State Acting Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has sent some personal aides of ailing Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on an indefinite leave. He has, also, announced the freezing of Local Governments accounts with immediate effect.
Coming barely 48 hours after Aiyedatiwa was confirmed by the House of Assembly as the Acting Governor, the affected aides had been told to step aside from their duty posts until the resumption of the governor.
According to new postings effected on Friday, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Omojuwa Olusegun, would oversee “the preparation and signing of the acting governor’s official engagement for the time being.”
In a circular letter with Ref no: FAD/DG.156/96, dated 14 December, 2023 and signed by Omojuwa Olusegun, the Acting Governor noted that Bola Alabi who is the Chief of Protocol would “take charge of this responsibility as soon as Mr. Governor resumes from his medical vacation.”
On state of accounts of the local councils, the Acting Governor, announced that they remain frozen.
Caretaker committees were hurriedly constituted despite injunction by the court to take charge of the councils following dissolution of elected officials at the expiration of their tenure.
A top local government’s official disclosed that a directive had been issued to Head of Local Government Administration to that effect.
A memo cited reads “Distinguished HOLGAs, Your Excellency, the Acting Governor of Ondo state had directed that all spending/ expenditure from local government account should be suspended, no signing of cheques, no change of signatories, no withdrawal of any sort until further directive. Please adhere strictly to instruction and be guided.”
