Sadly,the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has passed on.
Governor Akeredolu reportedly died at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday at a German hospital where he was receiving treatment.
He died of leukemia and prostate cancer, two ailments that had made him go in and out of hospitals for some time.He was 67years old
Although,the state government has yet to speak on the matter,however, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state said arrangements were being concluded to swear in his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa,as Governor.
If you recall.Late Aketi,as he fondly called, went on medical vacation on April 3, 2023, and July 10, 2023. At that time, he handed over to the deputy governor. 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.The disagreement got the head,when the Members of the Ondo State House of Assembly,loyal to Akeredolu,moved an impeachment notice on the Ayedatiwa,it was the intervention of President Tinubu,that managed the political impasse.
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,” he had said.
