President Bola Tinubu has reportedly directed ailing Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
However, due to the governor’s weakened condition, the transfer will be facilitated through an electronic signature (e-signature), Politics Nigeria has gathered.
The directive came after Tinubu convened a crucial meeting on Monday to address the leadership crisis in Ondo, arising from Akeredolu’s prolonged absence from office since July 2023. This marked the second meeting facilitated by the President to address the growing concerns surrounding the governor’s health and its impact on state governance.
The meeting was prompted by mounting pressure from civil society organisations and political institutions, who threatened mass protests across Ondo State if Akeredolu didn’t step down.
The governor has remained largely absent since returning from a three-month medical leave in Germany in September.
This publication gathered that other key figures present at the meeting included Deputy Governor Aiyedatiwa, House of Assembly Speaker Olamide Oladiji, Akeredolu’s son Babajide (the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit in the Governor’s Office), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
Initial discussions involved invoking the doctrine of necessity through the State House of Assembly, which would have appointed Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor. However, concerns were raised regarding the potential humiliation it might cause the ailing governor.
“During the meeting, it was agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity and make Lucky Ayedatiwa the Acting Governor, but the Speaker and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim pleaded that the ailing governor would be humiliated,” a source disclosed.
“The son (Babajide) then promised to go and obtain his father’s e-signature to pen a letter to the State House of Assembly, transferring power to the deputy governor.”
