By Ayodele Oni
Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has clarified that he, as an individual, or his Government, never gave any tactical support to a group of people that held a rally in the state capital on Saturday.
An Activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho and other proponents of Yoruba secession, on Saturday stormed Akure, the Ondo state capital to solicit full support of the people of the state for the proposed Yoruba nation or Oduduwa Republic.
During the rally, some of the speakers had claimed that the programme had the full backing of Governor Akeredolu. In deed, Adeyemo was, also, quoted as saying so at the Palace of the Oba.
However, a statement on Sunday, signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Richard Olatunde, put a lie to the claims, and distanced both the Governor and the Ondo State Government from the secession rally. It reads:
Some group of persons who held a rally under the cover of what they term ‘secessionist agitations’ in Akure, on Saturday, May 22, 2021, erroneously claimed to have had his support for the rally.
“Governor Akeredolu wishes to state clearly that while he acknowledges the right of individuals and groups to hold peaceful rallies, it must not be misconstrued to mean support for secessionist agenda and or balkanization of the nation. Far from it.
“Unequivocally, the Governor’s opinion on the Akure rally or any other of its ilk, is only to the effect that he is not opposed to any civil protest which is not in breach of the extant laws of the Nation.
“He neither believes, nor supports the quest for the Yoruba Nation outside of Nigeria in the manner canvassed.
“Governor Akeredolu stands by a virile, united and indivisible Nigeria as demanded by the Southern Governors’ Forum.
“Therefore, the vigour, zeal, leadership and candour displayed by Governor Akeredolu for a just and fair Nigeria is altruistic, and borne out of patriotism for the Nation as well as love for his people, the Yoruba ethnic nationality.
“It is important, therefore, to state without any equivocation that the Yoruba Nation secessionist promoters do not enjoy any lending hand in Governor Akeredolu.”
The Group has been going round Yoruba States holding rallies in support of Yoruba freedom from Nigeria.
