Ondo Political Conundrum: Will ‘Cabal’ Allow Ayedatiwa To Rule?

Lucky Ayedatiwa has assumed office as the Acting Governor of Ondo State following the medical leave embarked upon by the governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Governor Akeredolu had during the week written a letter to the state House of Assembly intimating the state lawmakers that he was embarking on a medical trip abroad, to take care of himself.

In his place, the ailing governor said his Deputy, Lucky Ayedatiwa would be in charge of the affairs of the Sunshine State, as Ondo is widely known.

According to a statement released in Akure, the state’s capital early in the week, the governor chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde said Akeredolu’s ‘medical leave’ commenced on December 13, 2023.

Olatunde said, “a formal letter regarding the medical leave and a notice formally transferring power in line with the Nigerian Constitution will be transmitted to the House of Assembly.

“In the absence of Governor Akeredolu, the Deputy Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, will assume the responsibilities of the Governor in acting capacity.”

The letter ended the long political battle over who should be in charge of affairs of the state while the governor, who has been ill for months see to his health.

The question, however, is whether some loyalists of Governor Akeredolu would allow the Acting Governor a free rein while his boss is out of the country.

These loyalists, according to the magazine checks, are remotely controlled by some members of Governor Akeredolu’s family who are afraid that power would slip away from him once his deputy takes charge.

Apart from the succession issue, which, is the reason why some members of the governor’s cabinet are at dagger-drawn with Ayedatiwa, some close family friends and associates of the governor, the magazine learned, consider the Deputy Governor to be disloyal, who must not be a direct beneficiary of the governor’s ill health.

Recall that Governor Akeredolu and Ayedatiwa were close political associates until recently when they parted ways, due to the struggle for the soul of the state.

Governor Akeredolu singlehandedly picked Ayedatiwa as his deputy, against the wishes of some of his aides, after he parted ways with his former deputy Agboola Ajayi in 2021.

Amidst disapproval from close aides, the governor had insisted that Ayedatiwa should succeed him when his term expires next year.

The table, however, turned in September this year after Governor Akeredolu returned from a medical trip abroad.

Trouble started after some members of the governor’s cabinet accused the deputy of mismanaging the state’s finances while Akeredolu was out of the country. He soiled his hands, Ayedatiwa traducers told the governor, while also accusing him of scheming to take over power while the governor was still alive.

For instance, the state House of Assembly had accused the deputy governor of trying to purchase an armoured SUV worth N300 million. They almost impeached him for the alleged offence until President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, intervened in the matter.

President Tinubu’s timely intervention, last week, also saved the state from degenerating into a serious political crisis after pressure was mounted on the state assembly by human rights groups to declare Ayedatiwa as Acting Governor due to the ‘incapacitation’ of the governor to continue to rule in his state of ill health.

Since Governor Akeredolu returned to the country in September, he has not been seen publicly, fueling speculations that some powerful appointees have hijacked the government.

Recently, a rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Kayode Ajulo accused some members of Akeredolu’s cabinet of forging the governor’s signature on state documents. The state government has denied the allegation.

Meanwhile, the big poser in the minds of those monitoring the state is whether this ‘ cabal’ is prepared to allow Deputy Governor Ayedatiwa an unfettered reign while his boss is away from the country.