The Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, returned to the state on Wednesday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja last Friday.
The meeting with stakeholders aimed to address the political crisis within the Ondo All Progressives Congress (APC).
The crisis unfolded as the Ondo State House of Assembly sought Aiyedatiwa’s impeachment amidst a breakdown in the relationship between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy. Aiyedatiwa had served as the acting governor during Akeredolu’s extended medical vacation in Germany.
During a Tuesday meeting, the Ondo Assembly disclosed that Aiyedatiwa had been asked to submit an undated resignation letter as part of efforts to resolve the political turmoil. This decision reportedly stemmed from the meeting with President Tinubu in Abuja.
Sources revealed that the deputy governor returned to the state and engaged in official activities, planning to preside over the State Executive Council meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Aiyedatiwa, facing allegations of gross misconduct, has been navigating a political survival battle as the state House of Assembly attempted to remove him.
However, the impeachment process hit a roadblock when the state Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, rejected the Assembly’s request to form a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor.
The political crisis began upon Governor Akeredolu’s return to the country in September after a medical vacation. President Tinubu’s intervention last Friday aimed to address the escalating tensions.
Acknowledging the President’s intervention, Ondo APC chieftain Otunba Olumide Araoyinbo expressed hope that the crisis resolution would revive commerce in the state.
Araoyinbo emphasized that the political unrest had created a climate of fear, negatively impacting commercial activities.
However, a group named Concerned Elites of Ondo State accused the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly of distorting the resolutions reached in the meeting with Tinubu.
The group claimed that the Speaker deliberately twisted facts, especially regarding the agreement to transfer power to Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa during Governor Akeredolu’s absence.
The group highlighted the importance of presenting accurate information about the conditions agreed upon during the meeting.
