The directive from President Tinubu followed a crucial meeting convened on Monday to address the leadership crisis in Ondo, stemming from Governor Akeredolu’s extended absence from office since July 2023. This meeting, the second of its kind initiated by the President, aimed to tackle concerns about the governor’s health and its ramifications for state governance…
Mounting pressure from civil society organizations and political institutions, threatening mass protests in Ondo State if Akeredolu did not step down, prompted the meeting. The governor has been conspicuously absent since his return from a three-month medical leave in Germany in September. Notable attendees at the meeting included Deputy Governor Aiyedatiwa, House of Assembly Speaker Olamide Oladiji, Akeredolu’s son Babajide (Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit in the Governor’s Office), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
Initial discussions explored invoking the doctrine of necessity through the State House of Assembly, appointing Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor. However, concerns arose about the potential humiliation it might cause the ailing governor.”At the meeting, there was agreement that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity and appoint Lucky Ayedatiwa as the Acting Governor.
However, the Speaker and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim pleaded that the ailing governor would be humiliated,” disclosed a source.In response, the son (Babajide) pledged to secure his father’s e-signature to draft a letter transferring power to the deputy governor, thus avoiding potential embarrassment.
