The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the House of Representatives, loyal to the late Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, have called on President Tinubu to caution Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for alleged disrespect for their late principal.
According to a report by Saturday PUNCH, Aiyedatiwa became the governor of Ondo State after Akeredolu passed away on December 27, 2023.
Six lawmakers—Adesida Abiodun (Akure North/South), Timehin Adelegbe (Owo/Ose), Festus Ayodele (Ileoluji- Okeigbo/Odigbo), Ojogo Kimikanboh (Ilaje/Ese-Odo), Odimayo John (Okitipupa/Irele), and Adegboyega Adefarati (Akoko South West/South East)—signed an open letter to President Tinubu, threatening the party with grave consequences if Aiyedatiwa does not turn around.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja on Friday, Adesida, the caucus leader, urged President Tinubu to get involved in the situation and preserve the reputation of the ruling party, especially with the governorship election scheduled for November.
He said that Governor Aiyedatiwa made official decisions that revealed him to be a man who had no regard for the late Akeredolu’s legacies.
Adesida said, “The deputy governor appointed by Mr Aiyedatiwa is a well-known political adversary of the late governor. Despite hailing from Owo, they never saw eye to eye during the late governor’s lifetime. Olajide Adelami caused a great deal of trouble for the late Akeredolu during his bid for re-election in 2020 to which you were committed.
“Furthermore, it has become common knowledge in the state that Mr Aiyedatiwa has aligned himself with every disgruntled and established political enemy of the late Akeredolu. As an example, the appointment of Barrister Kola Olawoye, a suspended APC member and former Attorney General of the state, as Aiyedatiwa’s campaign coordinator in Owo has been widely condemned by loyal party members, particularly in Owo.
“Mr President, the governor has created a significant divide and caused deep discord among party members. Currently, the party’s state Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, is being marginalised and sidelined. To make matters worse, Governor Aiyedatiwa has resorted to sending his proxies to warn the chairman and pressure him into resigning. It is a bad situation, sir.
The lawmakers further urged Tinubu to “prevent Ondo State from falling into the hands of the opposition due to internal conflicts,” adding that there is an “urgent need for decisive and unifying leadership becomes more evident than ever.”
But in a statement, Mr. Abiola Makinde, the congressman for the Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency, attacked his colleagues, calling their concern and allegiance to the late Akeredolu “phony.”
He said, “With due respect to my colleagues, I think this letter has revealed those who intend to create a crisis in the party than averting it. That lawmakers who are leaders in their constituencies would suddenly wake up to protect the dead Former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, whom they abandoned when he was alive is self-defeating.
“Since the death of the former governor, this caucus has not deemed it fit to pay a condolence visit to his family, but yet they claim to now love him in death more than when he was alive. What was the role of the caucus during the inglorious days of thick politics that nearly brought down our state last year? How many letters did we write to the president to save the state from those who deliberately clogged it?”
The governor’s chief press secretary, Mr. Ebenezer Adeniyan, declined to comment when reached.
The deputy governor, Adelami, has, however, denied any animosity towards the late governor, Akeredolu.
The deputy governor, Mr. John Paul Akinduro, received a statement from Adelami, the press secretary, characterizing the accusation as spiteful and untrue.
The statement read partly, “Chief Adelami was never an enemy of the late governor nor any other political player in Ondo State or elsewhere. The deputy governor is a decent politician and philanthropist with a verifiable track record.
“It is instructive to note that Chief Adelami has always been a strong member of the APC and staunch supporter and dependable ally of late Governor Akeredolu for eons.
“Worthy of mention is the fact that the deputy governor gave moral, political, and financial support to the late governor during the electioneering campaigns, leading to his first and second terms in office and, subsequently rendered the same support all through his tenure as governor of Ondo State.”