Two confessions at the outset: First, my heart goes to Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, Governor of Ondo State. He has my full sympathy for his illness, which has kept him from full-scale performance of his statutory duties. I was in a similar situation abroad, and my university fully supported me for the entire six months of treatment and another six to recuperate. Those who are throwing brimstones over Akeredolu’s decision to take a rest after his return to Nigeria last month either have no idea of his health condition and state of mind, lack empathy, or are simply mischievous. You do not play politics with a person’s health misfortune. I even praise him that he was able to meet with members of his cabinet, the legislature, and party leaders within days of his arrival. He has since assumed duties, although from Ibadan until he completes his medication regimen for this crucial phase of his treatment.
The second disclosure: Ondo is my native state and I live there now in my retirement. I have been close to the Ondo state government since the days of late Governor Adekunle Ajasin on whose cabinet I would have served but for a fellowship and study leave abroad. Since that time, my ears have always been close to the ground about the state’s social, economic, and political developments. I have monitored Akeredolu’s administration from inception and written about it, criticizing, supporting, or praising it as appropriate. I also speak with the Governor or send text messages from time to time.
With regard to the ongoing developments in the state, it is very clear that they have been laced with political undertones for which there are many culprits, ranging from the former APC Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, who made an explosive statement about Akeredolu’s health situation in Abuja, based on exaggerated media reports, to Akeredolu’s Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who allegedly aided such sensational media reports within and outside the state. The role of Aiyedatiwa’s media aides in propagating negative information about Governor Akeredolu’s health situation led the Governor to sack them on his return. One unprintable material they circulated, and later withdrew, on the Governor’s health situation was an anticipatory obituary, laced with a dirgeful song.
It cannot be denied that Akeredolu and his family contributed to the Deputy’s perceived hurry to become Governor. Before relations between Akeredolu and his Deputy turned frosty, the former had said or implied publicly that the latter would succeed him. However, Akeredolu’s son and his mother (the First Lady) reportedly have not made it easy for Aiyedatiwa to function effectively as a Deputy Governor.
The present problem with the Deputy reportedly began with his access to the Governor’s health records through aides close to the Governor. He and his own aides quickly translated what they saw as the Governor’s imminent death. This heightened the Deputy’s campaign within the cabinet for the Governor to transfer power to him, even when the Governor was still functioning, if only minimally.
Once the Governor went abroad for medical attention and transferred power to Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor, he assumed Governor Akeredolu was probably not coming back to power or even alive. He allegedly went full throttle not only to exercise power as Acting Governor but also to plan his own election as substantive Governor. In no time, the cabinet was fissured. Those who were promised “juicy” positions, including deputy governorship, quickly aligned with him, while those who were also planning to run for the office of Governor fell into another camp with their supporters.
Of course, it is the Deputy’s legitimate right to want to become governor as it is for other qualified residents of the state. However, how he went about it and what he did during the brief period as Acting Governor raised eyebrows within the administration and across the state. From all available reports from within the administration and from the media, he was naïve about governance and lacked leadership qualities. He reportedly focused on grabbing power and using it for selfish ends than in exercising it for the benefit of the citizens. For three months, he did nothing tangible except to ask for this and that for himself. And this did not go well with some of his colleagues. Nor could the state legislators condone his excesses. Ultimately, they moved to impeach him.
In a letter addressed and delivered to the Deputy Governor on September 20, 2023, the House raised fourteen (14) allegations against him, including gross misconduct, misappropriation, and embezzlement. Aiyedatiwa later responded to the House’s impeachment process with two court filings, one in Akure and the other in Abuja seeking an order to stop it and from harassing him. Nevertheless, the House moved ahead with the impeachment process, which has now developed a major delay, pending the vacation of the order of the Abuja Court, which has postponed judgement till October 30, 2023. Understandably, this led the Ondo State Chief Judge to decline to set up a Judicial Panel to investigate the allegations against the Deputy Governor.
These developments are unfortunate for a number of reasons. First and foremost, governance is at its lowest ebb in the state and will remain so until this matter is resolved. On the one hand, the Governor is certainly still not well enough to function optimally. On the other hand, the Deputy Governor can no longer be trusted to do the right thing, if power were again transferred to him. He cannot function even in the capacity of Deputy Governor in view of these developments.
Second, the perceived vacuum in governance has generated anxiety within the state, leading various groups to mount protests, some for or against the Deputy governor and others against the Governor. The ultimate goal is to seek ways of restoring normalcy in the state.
Third, no matter how the matter is resolved, it has generated so much bad blood that good relations can no longer be restored between Governor Akeredolu and his Deputy; between the Deputy and his colleagues on the cabinet; and between the Deputy and the House of Assembly.
Fourth, because of the protracted nature of the matter, the National Working Committee of the ruling party has found it necessary to intervene, by inviting the state House of Assembly to Abuja. Such intervention is motivated by Nigerian party culture, which sees disputes at any level as a family affair. Unfortunately, however, this particular intervention contravenes the relative autonomy of the state House of Assembly in a federal system. Compare the situation with a case in Chicago, when Mayor Harold Washington suddenly died of a heart attack in his office. The Democratic Party at the national level refrained from intervening in the ensuing fight between two members of the party to succeed him.
In the final analysis, there appears to be only two options to resolve the Ondo impasse, without impacting on party unity. One is to allow the House of Assembly to move forward with impeachment. If his hands are clean, he would be exonerated. The alternative is for Aiyedatiwa to resign from office. Either way, the earlier the matter was resolved the better for ensuring party unity before election about a year away. The option of pacification being attempted by the NWC cannot heal the wounds that have already cut deep. If anything, it may exacerbate distrust and party disunity within the state.
Whatever path is followed, it must be remembered that, in good health, Akeredolu did his best for the state, for the Southwest, and even for the entire South. Now that he is temporarily down, we should not trample on him. I hope he gets well soon.
•Written By Niyi Akinnaso
