Members of the Ondo State Executive Council are tense over reports that Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the deputy governor, is considering running against Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the position of governor due to health concerns.
The deputy governor’s alleged lack of loyalty has come to the governor’s attention, and the governor has grown increasingly uneasy about the deputy governor’s alleged ambition, according to sources within the cabinet.
Although the campaign is said to have started some time ago, the deputy governor has yet to formally declare his intention to run for governor in the 2024 elections.
When Akeredolu left for vacation and left the deputy governor in charge of the governor’s office, trouble started to arise.
The deputy governor was accused of putting his personal interests ahead of those of the state and the governor during his brief tenure as acting governor.
The deputy governor has also been charged with spreading false information about the governor’s health and subsequent death rumors, according to some exco members.
Due to the delicate nature of the subject, sources within the exco requested anonymity. They revealed that the deputy governor was the one who started the rumors about the governor’s health.
One of the exco members expressed worry about the governor’s choice of deputy governors while also reiterating that Akeredolu’s health was not getting worse.
“The deputy governor is the source of all these rumors going around. In reality, the governor decided to take a break from work after the Cabinet meeting three weeks ago and the subsequent courtesy calls.
“The governor has been advised to intentionally take time out to rest. In order to see him, the deputy governor traveled to Ibadan and brought some documents with him. He didn’t, however, tell the governor or any of his close aides about his visit. The files were signed by the governor in Ibadan and then given back to him. The governor, however, contacted the deputy governor right away.
“When he got back to Akure, he began telling some of our allies that the governor ought to give him the reins of power. He even made an effort to convince Exco members to agree with him.
“He purposefully started these rumors about the governor’s health to win the support and sympathy of the general public. Our deputy governor told us a lie. Only after we began corresponding with the governor directly did we discover the truth.
“The governor signed the May 2023 salary just last Monday. You can be sure that the governor is in charge and involved because the ministries are operating. He is currently irate and upset over these false reports.
However, a government insider claims that the deputy governor already has allies in the cabinet.
“The deputy governor has promised a commissioner that he will be his deputy if their attempt to impeach the governor is successful. He also pledged to appoint a different cabinet member as Secretary to the State Government.
“Unfortunately, two commissioners are vying to be Aiyedatiwa’s deputy governor. Additionally, as part of the deputy governor’s plan to be nominated for the position of NDDC State Representative, a Special Adviser has sworn allegiance to her.
All of these individuals are currently working together to encourage the governor to give the deputy authority.
“The governor and deputy governor met last week, and during that meeting, the governor signed a number of papers, among them the pay check for the local government. Why would the deputy governor remain silent while his boss was being maligned in the media? We are aware that he is in charge of them.
He was actually persuaded to issue a statement refuting these untrue reports, but he declined. Witnessing such behavior from a deputy governor that the governor personally selected is quite upsetting.
In fact, he was persuaded to make a statement disputing these false reports, but he chose not to. It is incredibly disappointing to see such behavior from a deputy governor that the governor personally selected,” he said.
Kenneth Odusola, the press secretary for Aiyedatiwa, responded to the news by saying that “this falsehood and its peddlers would have ordinarily been ignored at this time, but the need to stop additional unfavorable reports and rumors that could lead to unnecessarily escalating tension in our state has necessitated this response.
“The said allegation against the person of the deputy governor is a figment of the imagination of those behind it. Their ungodly intentions to cause a crisis in the state had been known for weeks, and therefore such falsehood did not come as a surprise.”
