Following the end of the political crisis in Ondo State, PETER DADA examines the expectations of the people from Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was recently confirmed the acting governor of the state
Following the latest development in Ondo State, where the deputy governor of the state, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has become the acting governor of the state after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu transmitted power to him through the State House of Assembly, tension and agitation arising from various quarters occasioned by the lingering political crisis in the state have been doused.
It was gathered that the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, who was reported to have held two separate peace meetings with the gladiators in the crisis at Aso Rock in Abuja, did a lot in the resolutions of the political ‘war’, which shook the entire Sunshine State for months. Recall that the first meeting, which was held on Friday, November 24, ended with some resolutions that included the need for the status quo to remain, while the impeachment process against Aiyedatiwa must be stopped.
Again, it was resolved at the meeting that there would be no change in the party structure and that there would be no dissolution of Akeredolu’s cabinet among others. Many were of the view that the inability of the resolutions to quench the crisis prompted another peace meeting with Mr President, this time, on Monday, December 11, with Aiyedatiwa, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, and other stakeholders in the state.
It was at the second meeting that President Tinubu gave an express directive to the Speaker to ensure that the House of Assembly, either adopted the doctrine of necessity or received a letter from the ailing Governor Akeredolu to transmit power to Aiyedatiwa to act as governor pending the return of the governor. This singular act of the President has discontinued the political upheaval, at least for now.
Incidentally, on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, Akeredolu returned to Germany to continue his treatment after he had communicated to the state House of Assembly about his journey back to the European country and the handing over of power to Aiyedatiwa in an acting capacity.
The statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde, partly read, “During his medical leave, Governor Akeredolu will prioritise his health and ensure a full recovery before resuming his official duties. In the absence of Governor Akeredolu, the Deputy Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, will assume the responsibilities of the governor in an acting capacity.
There is no doubting the fact that the last presidential intervention in the crisis saved the Sunshine State from looming unrest and chaos as many interest groups had made plans to storm the streets of Akure, the state capital, and some other major towns to demand the whereabouts of the governor and installing Aiyedatiwa as the acting governor.
Before this time, Governor Akeredolu, on getting back to the country, on September 7, went straight to his private residence in Ibadan where it was believed that he was recuperating and, on many occasions, good news was always coming from his aides, who always reported that the health of the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum was improving on daily basis. However, many stakeholders in the state were not satisfied with the reports of the aides as they demanded the return of the governor to the state.
As it is, now that Aiyedatiwa, who battled and survived the big axe of impeachment, has resumed office as the acting governor of Ondo State for the second time in seven months, there has been calm in every nook and cranny of the state while the acting governor has also expressed his intention to embrace peace. Aiyedatiwa said this much in his statewide broadcast.
In the statewide broadcast, he admitted that the crisis had slowed down the progress of the state but called on those directly involved in the crisis and other stakeholders in the state to forget the past and join him in marching forward to deliver the desired dividends of democracy to the people of 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 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.
“Also of paramount importance is the expectation of our people that we continue to deliver on the mandate given to Mr Governor and my humble self. We must return quickly to the path of accelerated progress that has eluded the state in the last few months. We must excuse unnecessary distractions.”
However, aside from crisis, the resolution of the crisis and politics, a lot is expected from the acting governor in the area of good governance, because the state has been set back as a result of the unhealthy political situation it had been engulfed in for several months and he is expected to normalise the governance in the light of the maintenance of status quo ante that was agreed upon at the first peace meeting with the President.
While in Ibadan, it was reported that Governor Akeredolu attended to some of the official state matters that the acting governor needed to continue with. Akeredolu was reported to have signed some documents to approve the execution of some projects in the state while the contractors were being paid partially. Aiyedatiwa needs to look into this and continue with the projects, and perhaps initiate more projects to complement the existing ones for the benefit of the people.
On the other hand, a school of thought was skeptical about how he would perform in the office, in the light of the subsisting and unresolved crisis between him and Governor Akeredolu because it was apparent that it was President Tinubu’s fiat that shot him to the acting governorship position and not the actual amicable resolution of the crisis. It was apparent that the disagreement between him and the state House of Assembly as well as with some members of the State Executive Council had not been resolved.
To this end, the pertinent questions to ask are, will Aiyedatiwa be able to perform successfully the assignment of moving the state forward in the absence of Governor Akeredolu? How will he be relating with other members of the cabinet and some other aides of the governor, who had allegedly tagged him as a traitor, in the discharge of his duties as an acting governor? Will he not be vindictive against some of the principal players in the suppressed crisis, especially members of the Assembly and the executive members? Previously, the first time he was in the office in an acting position, he was alleged to have faced hostility and frustration in the office and thereby allegedly incapacitated to perform his duty by some people in the government. But this time around, the people expect the possibility of a repetition of such ugly development.
At the first meeting of the gladiators with Mr President on the crisis, they were said to have resolved that the status quo (now status quo ante) must be retained, meaning that Aiyedatiwa must not change the existing structure of the State Executive Council, must not sack or replace any of the executive members. Again, he must not tamper with the state House of Assembly or the existing structure of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Recall that during the crisis, all his media aides were sacked but it was uncertain if he would be permitted to appoint another set of media aides, recall the sacked ones, or work with the governor’s media aides, going by the resolutions and outcome of the presidential meeting.
In line with all these, one can easily perceive that the acting governor may find himself in a dilemma in adhering to all the conditions given to him at the peace meeting. Since he cannot change the executive council members, he may find it difficult to appoint his own trusted people to work with in government. As a governorship aspirant, he may find it difficult to grab the political structure of the state, because the current structure is still in the confines of Governor Akeredolu.
It was gathered that many of his (Aiyedatiwa’s) loyalists and associates, who purportedly stood by him while he was struggling to survive the titanic battle against his political career, had expected to be included in the ongoing concluding part of the Akeredolu administration. The said loyalists are said to be present across the 18 local government areas of the state while some are currently serving the state government.
Some of the associates of the acting governor are already expressing optimism that Aiyedatiwa will include them in the activities of the government as they stood behind him while in political trouble.
One of them, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH, on condition of anonymity, said, “We are for Aiyedatiwa any day, anytime; we didn’t leave him when the cabal in Akeredolu’s government planned to eject and frustrate him out of the government. So, we are of the strong belief that he will not abandon us now. Though they said he should not change anybody in Akeredolu’s cabinet, this is government, and there are many ways to do it. There are many ways to bring in whoever you want to bring in. But we are not rushing him; we pray he settles down and does what is right for the people of the state. We are solidly behind him, and we believe he will succeed in office as the acting governor.”
To this end, some political pundits have expressed their opinions on the state of the affairs of Ondo State, especially concerning Aiyedatiwa’s new position as the head of government in the state.
A lecturer and political analyst, Dr Tade Oludayo, in his view, said the latest development in the Sunshine State was in line with the constitution of the country. He urged the acting governor to put aside the political crisis and face governance for the benefit of the people of the state.
“This time is enough for him (Aiyedatiwa) to work his way into the minds of the people of Ondo State by facing governance seriously and ensuring that he harmonises warring parties as much as possible. The people of Ondo State have suffered for a long time because of the issue and both sides have also lost one thing or the other, but the state is the major loser when those two ‘elephants’ are fighting.
“So, the state House of Assembly has not been functional, the executive arm is also hampered by the absence of the chief executive, but now that there is a transfer of power, the person that now has the constitutional power to govern and organise the state must take responsibility and make sure that what the people have lost during the feud between him and his boss are regained and they will now enjoy good governance.
“While praying that Akeredolu gets well in his medical vacation to Germany, it is also a pointer for the state government to ensure that they also have standard medical care that can also take care of their ailments. It is irresponsible for them to be in the saddle and be telling people that they have constructed a state-of-the-art medical facility that cannot take care of them anytime anything happens to them,” he said.
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Another political analyst, Moses Adigun, in his opinion, expressed the need for all the gladiators to put the state first in all their doings. He lamented that Ondo, which had continued to pride itself as the Sunshine State, had suffered in the scheme of things in the country presently due to the crisis.
“I learnt that Aiyedatiwa and some cabinet members have governorship ambition ahead of the next 2024 election. Though it is their right to have political ambition, they shouldn’t let their ambition override the interest of the state,” Adigun urged.
He also tasked the acting governor, the state executive members and the state House to work together for the benefit of the people, saying development could not take place in the atmosphere of crisis and conflicts.
He advised, “The people would not benefit when they continue to fight. What the people want is good governance; they want their economy to improve. So, work on the economy of the state, work on the security of the state. Where there is security, you can attract investors; you can make the place habitable for people. They should work on the economy of the state, let the economy thrive and then let people feel the impact of government. He should work on the bad roads, particularly the rural roads from where foods come to the urban centres, and then empower people.”
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