President Bola Tinubu’s intervention meeting with Ondo State stakeholders to address the state’s festering conflict had favourable results on Friday, as warring parties vowed to embrace peace and maintain the status quo.
This is despite the fact that the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has vowed to support all commissioners and officials in conducting state matters, and the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Oladiji Olamid, has also pledged to halt all impeachment processes against Aiyedatiwa.
The President and state officials, including APC members, met at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja until late Friday night and deliberated the resolutions for almost six hours.
The Deputy Governor who declared his decision to maintain the status quo and unite all the warring factions said: “I want to say that I pledge to all of you that I will embrace every one of you. I put behind all that has happened before now. I’ve let go and also let God, just as the President has advised us.
“And I want to say that no offence, no guile in my mind whatsoever. All that has happened is politics. Impeachment is part of politics. If you survive it, it is also politics. It has come. I’ve survived it and every other thing is in the past.
“It is one big family and our father has intervened to bring all the children together to remain under the same family and with the position that I occupy, I will carry every one of you along in every decision that needs to be taken and everything that we do we will work together; the executive and the legislature will work together to ensure that governance is on the right track.”
Aiyedatiwa pleaded with all members of the State Executive Council to cooperate with Akeredolu and himself to “bring the dividend of democracy” to the people of Ondo State.
“We should respect one another regarding the offices we occupy and our age differences. So, it’s going to be mutual respect.
“And I want to assure the party structure that we will work together because the party is supreme. We will always give you the due respect,” he added.
The Speaker of the House, Olamide, who read the details of the resolution, said: “Our resolution is that one, we shall embrace peace. Secondly, there would be no more dissolution of the cabinet and the Deputy Governor would maintain status quo as far as the House of Assembly leadership is concerned.
“We will maintain status quo as far as the party leadership in the state is concerned and maintain status quo as far as the leadership of the State House of Assembly is concerned. Thank you, Mr. President.”
The meeting at the Presidential Villa and final resolution of the crisis followed pleas from Ondo State Elders and Leaders urging President Tinubu to urgently intervene in the constitutional crisis in the state and avert the looming breakdown of law and order.
They had also called on the state and national leaderships of the governing party, the All Progressives Congress, to provide the required guidance to those in government and ensure discipline in their camp.
In a letter addressed to the President and signed by the convener, Reuben Fasonranti, and the secretary, Bakkita Bello, the elders had urged the State House of Assembly to impeach neither the Governor nor his Deputy Governor.
“All unelected persons should allow the three arms of government to find a lasting solution to the current crisis,” they had appealed.
President Tinubu had earlier ordered the police to withdraw from the premises of the Ondo State House of Assembly in Akure.