Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has returned to the state after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja last Friday. The meeting, which involved stakeholders in the Ondo All Progressives Congress (APC), aimed to address the political crisis in the state.
The crisis emerged from the strained relationship between ailing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa, who acted as governor during Akeredolu’s extended medical vacation in Germany. The Ondo State House of Assembly had sought Aiyedatiwa’s impeachment, prompting him to be asked to submit an undated resignation letter during the Abuja meeting with Tinubu.
An ally of the deputy governor expressed Aiyedatiwa’s discontent with the arrangement. Despite this, Aiyedatiwa returned to the state on Wednesday and resumed official duties, planning to preside over the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday.
The impeachment process against Aiyedatiwa faced hurdles when the state Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, declined the Assembly’s request to establish a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor.
The political crisis, ongoing since Akeredolu’s return in September, attracted President Tinubu’s intervention last Friday. Otunba Olumide Araoyinbo, an Ondo APC chieftain, commended Tinubu’s involvement, expressing hope that the intervention would restore peace and stimulate commerce in the state.
Contrary to the Assembly Speaker’s assertion that there was no agreement to transfer power to Aiyedatiwa, the Concerned Elites of Ondo State accused him of twisting facts. The group insisted that the conditions discussed at the meeting, which included retaining the current cabinet, Assembly leadership, and party leadership, were contingent on Aiyedatiwa gaining acting governorship status.