Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, has died. According to sources, the governor died on Wednesday at the age of 67.A state leader of the governing All Progressives Congress said plans were being finalized to swear in his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The state administration has yet to comment on the situation.
Attempts to obtain confirmation from the Alagbaka Government House were futile at the time of reporting this article. Mr. Richard Olabode, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, did not answer his phone calls or react to text messages sent to his phone by one of our journalists.
The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, she did not return her calls.Akeredolu is returned to Germany for additional treatment on December 13, 2023.
In a statement, the governor’s spokesperson, Richard Olatunde, said Akeredolu will send a letter to the state House of Assembly appointing his deputy, Lucy Aiyedatiwa, as interim governor.
Akeredolu, who was claimed to be suffering from cancer, had gone to Germany to be treated, at which time he delegated acting duties to Aiyedatiwa.
The governor took a medical leave of absence on April 3, 2023, and July 10, 2023. He turned up authority to the deputy governor at the moment. He returned to the country on September 7 and wrote the state House of Assembly informing the lawmakers.
Although the governor returned from a medical leave in Germany in September, he was not sighted in Ondo State as he was reported to be staying in his private residence in Ibadan.
His absence created a leadership vacuum in the state and the executive council was divided into two factions consisting of those loyal to the governor and loyalists of the deputy governor.
The governor in September sacked all the media aides attached to the office of the deputy governor. An insider source said the aides were sacked as a result of insubordination and flagrance disregard to the appropriate authority.
Meanwhile, after his second medical leave, Aiyedatiwa, who is acting in Akeredolu’s stead, called on the people of the state and all stakeholders to join him in carrying out the vision of the governor in moving the state forward.
Akeredolu had transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa to act as the governor after he returned to Germany on medical vacation. The governor had also informed the state House of Assembly about the development through a letter.
The acting governor, in a statewide broadcast, admitted that the political crisis that had engulfed the state in recent time have challenged the love for the state and democracy, urging everyone to forget the past, come together, and join hands with him to develop the state.
He said, “Yesterday is already behind us. This is the time to carry aloft, with love and affection for one another, the laudable vision and mission of the governor for the state. I appeal to every member of the government of Ondo State for your genuine support, cooperation, and dedication.
”We need a renewed unity to berth the significant and accelerated development clearly envisioned and vigorously pursued by Mr. Governor.
“My good people of Ondo state, what happened in the past was a temporary delay in our democratic journey. As a government, we have recovered.”
