According to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), Governor Rotimi Akeredolu is not operating as well as is necessary to continue leading Ondo and should cede control to Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“In light of this, we implore Governor Akeredolu to safeguard his hard-earned reputation by handing over to his deputy in an acting capacity until he is capable of handling the state’s business,” the party stated in a statement released on Thursday and signed by chairman Stephen Adewale.
The party asserts that since Mr. Akeredolu purportedly fell ill, there has been a governance void. Betty Akeredolu, Mr. Akeredolu’s wife, has made public comments on his illness.
The SDP, meanwhile, was accused of “wicked fabrication” by the Ondo government.
Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, the information commissioner, said in a statement, “We had opted to disregard this heinous lie until it seemed that certain persons want to get political mileage from the disinformation.
The statement asserted that although Mr. Akeredolu suffers from an unidentified illness, he is nonetheless capable of functioning.
The commissioner stated, “He has been taking care of state concerns and, when necessary, delegating functions to employees of the administration.
On the other side, the SDP urged Mr. Akeredolu to “immediately hand over, to constitutionally delegate power to the deputy in an acting capacity so as to keep the state running effectively.”
“And if he is strong enough to preside over the state’s affairs as his people claimed, then it is well past time for Governor Akeredolu to show up and disprove the doubting Thomases,” the opposition party continued.
The SDP emphasized that “this is not the time for the ‘governor is getting better and everything is going on smoothly in Ondo state’ nonsense spewed by APC apologists and many politicians who are abetting the governor to shirk his constitutional responsibility,” stating that continued uncertainty over the administration of Ondo “will cost the state untoward setback.”
SDP said, “And that is why silence is dangerous now,” noting that Ondo is experiencing a “rare moment in time when only genuine, exhaustive, and wide-ranging conversations can save the impending storm.”
The SDP worried that “a man who once sat atop the highest chair at the Nigerian Bar Association, who actively participated in denouncing an ailing head of state when the latter refused to hand over to his deputy, and who has devoted his entire life to defending the constitution of the land would blatantly and deliberately flout that very constitution.”
