Ill health: Akeredolu’s signature forged on official documents, Ondo commissioner raises alarm
Ondo State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razaq Obe, raised an alarm on Friday that the signature of his boss, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, is being forged.
Obe revealed this following the alleged discovery of irregularities in a document that was returned to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources through the office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG.
Concerned over the development, Obe wrote a letter to the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in which he highlighted the discrepancies in the signature.
The commissioner maintained that, with the severity of the situation, he sought the assistance of forensic experts to authenticate the governor’s signature.
He stressed that, based on the findings, it was confirmed that the signature was indeed forged.
Obe, who called for immediate action to be taken over the situation, described it as a disturbing development.
The letter read, “I write to call your attention to a critical matter that has been confirmed; the signature of Mr Governor on a certain document has been forged.
“The irregularities in the signature were first observed when a file from my ministry was returned through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government. This is the only file that has been returned so far out of the five files that were sent to Mr Governor for approval about two months ago.
“Under close inspection, I noticed significant differences between the suspicious signature and handwriting and Mr. Governor’s known signature and handwriting in the file.
” Concerned about the gravity of the situation, I decided to seek a forensic review before disclosing my discovery. I sent the suspicious signature handwriting samples and copies of the old regular signatures to forensic experts, who have now confirmed that the suspicious signature and handwriting were indeed forged.
“Despite the inherent risks involved, I have chosen to fulfill the obligations of my office by reporting this alarming development to you as the highest-ranking member of the State Executive Council after Mr. Governor. I firmly believe that this is the course of action our esteemed leader, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, would take in such a situation.
“Considering the possibility that such forgery may be widespread, this heads-up is of utmost importance to the government and people of Ondo State. I have attached a copy of the forensic report and relevant pages from the file for your reference.
“I urge you to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and take appropriate actions to address the situation. It is crucial that we restore the integrity of our processes and ensure that such a disturbing development is swiftly punctuated.”
Recall that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kayode Ajulo, alleged that some officials in the administration of the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu were signing documents on behalf of the ailing governor.
According to him, the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, cannot take over from the governor since power has not been transferred to him constitutionally, making way for the hijack of state governance by the cabal.
He said, “I have it on good authority as a lawyer. Some of the commissioners, about five of them, sent memos to the governor, and they all returned with approval.
“Going through the approval compared to what the governor had approved when he was hale (sic) and hearty, there are notable disparities in them.”
Akeredolu is said to be recuperating at an undisclosed location in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital after months of treatment at a Germany hospital.
