President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has brokered peace in the political crisis dogging Ondo State following the long absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu due to ill-health.
After Friday late night meeting between the president and the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in the state, all parties to the conflict resolved not to formally declare the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as acting governor to replace the ailing governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu.
However, in a compromise brokered by the president, Aiyedatiwa is to be allowed to exercise the powers of the governor after agreeing to maintain the status quo, which will see him retain cabinet members appointed by Akeredolu and make no moves to engineer a leadership change in the Ondo State House of Assembly.
This followed marathon negotiations between the president and the deputy governor, representatives of Governor Akeredolu, federal and state lawmakers from Ondo State, officials of the state’s chapter of the APC and other stakeholders in the state, at the State House, Abuja.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the president advised all opposing parties to forgo their differences and commit to peace, a call that was well received by all the parties.
This means that Governor Akeredolu will remain the chief executive of the state even in his illness-enforced absence, Aiyedatiwa will remain the deputy governor, and members of the State Executive Council will continue with their respective duties. Even as the leadership of the State House of Assembly and the APC Chapter in Ondo State is preserved.
The presidential spokesman quoted Aiyedatiwa as saying: “It is one big family and our father has intervened to bring all the children together to remain under the same family, and with the position that I occupy, I will carry every one of you along in every decision that needs to be taken.
“And in everything that we do, we will work together; the executive and the legislature will work together to ensure that governance is on the right track.”
LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt, however, that the outcome of the meeting between President Tinubu and the two camps is not going down well with some party members who are insisting that the deputy governor should be formally declared acting governor.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also criticised the outcome of the meeting, suggesting that the intervention of the president is cosmetic and will not bring an end to the power vacuum.
A source who does not want his name mentioned told LEADERSHIP Sunday that President Tinubu only advised the two factions to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign for the betterment of the party in next year’s governorship election.
According to the source who was privy to the meeting, there was nothing said about acting governor in the meeting as being speculated.
He said, “Before the meeting, a lot had gone wrong within the party. We have divisions in the party: the executive members are divided, and also the legislature. All the issues were amicably resolved by the president and other leaders of our party present at the meeting. The deputy governor will continue to function in his capacity as deputy governor, not the acting governor.
“At the meeting, the president jokingly told one of the senators representing the state at the National Assembly that he failed to inform him what was going on in the state before the situation got out of hand despite their closeness. The senator replied that he thought they would be able to manage the situation within themselves.
“The senator openly informed all the players that he was now ready to report any move that could affect the party to the president if he noticed that henceforth.”
But in spite of the resolutions reached, some leaders of the party have asked the State House of Assembly to immediately declare Aiyedatiwa the acting governor.
The leaders, under the auspices of Progressive Stakeholders, called on the State House of Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, empower the deputy governor following the continued absence of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, which had crippled governance in the state.
In a communique made available to LEADERSHIP Sunday in Akure, the state capital, yesterday, the leaders also passed a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the party in the state.
In the communique signed by a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Afe Olowookere, and a former secretary of APC in the state, Hon. Raman Rotimi, the group accused the APC leadership of lacking the skill to pilot the affairs of the party, among other issues in the state.
The communique reads in part, “Given the current happenings in the party, APC, and the government of Ondo State, APC leaders across the 18 local government areas of the state converged in Akure, the state capital, to discuss issues to find a practicable way forward from the present political impasse.
“The leaders, after exhaustive deliberations, arrived at the following resolutions: That given the present arrangement where impunity and lack of respect for party structures, leaders, and elders is the order of the day, it was resolved that party supremacy must be entrenched to facilitate inclusion and mutual respect.
“That APC party members should be allowed to participate and determine those to be appointed or elected into political and party offices.
“That the prolonged absence of the governor in the state has crippled the economy of the state and that the deputy governor, Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa, should be empowered by the House of Assembly to function as the acting governor in line with the constitutional provision.”
Feuding Parties Embrace Tinubu’s Peace Deal
Meanwhile, according to a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesman, Deputy Governor Aiyedatiwa agreed to maintain the status quo and unite all the factions.
The deputy governor said: “I want to say that I pledge to all of you that I embrace every one of you. I put behind all that has happened before now. I’ve let go and also let God, just as the President has advised us.
“And I want to say that with no offence, no guile in my mind whatsoever. All that has happened is politics. Impeachment is part of politics. If you survive it, it is also politics. It has come. I’ve survived it, and every other thing is in the past.”
The deputy governor pleaded with all members of the State Executive Council to rally around the governor and himself to “bring the dividend of democracy” to the people of Ondo State.
“We should respect one another regarding the offices we occupy and our age differences. So, it’s going to be mutual respect.
“And I want to assure the party structure that we will work together because the party is supreme. We will always give you your due respect,” the Ondo State deputy governor pledged.
On his part, the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oladiji Olamide, who read the details of the resolution, said, “Our resolution is that, one, we shall embrace peace. Secondly, there would be no more dissolution of the cabinet, and the deputy governor would maintain the status quo as far as the House of Assembly leadership is concerned.
“We will maintain the status quo as far as the party leadership in the state is concerned and maintain the status quo as far as the leadership of the State House of Assembly is concerned.”
In his remarks, the Ondo State APC chairman, Ade Adetimehin, expressed delight at the outcome of Friday’s late night deliberations, affirming that the party will remain a watchdog to ensure that the new commitments are adhered to.
“Today is my happiest moment. And I know sanity has come to Ondo State. So, on behalf of the teeming supporters of our party in the state, we appreciate our leader, Mr. President.
“PDP has crumbled in the state; virtually, they defect every day. The only problem we have is the one you have solved for us today. And that problem has been resolved permanently,” Adetimehin stated.
Tinubu’s Intervention, Cosmetic – PDP
Reacting to Tinubu’s intervention, the Peoples Democratic Party in the state said the political siege in the state was not yet over despite the president’s intervention.
In a statement issued by his publicity secretary, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the party said there had been “conflicting reports as resolutions of the presidential parley at the instance of President Bola Tinubu to resolve the political impasse that has plagued Ondo State for a better part of this year.”
It noted that both camps of Rotimi Akeredolu and his embattled deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, interpreted the resolutions as being in their favour.
“From what we have read about the outcome, Tinubu’s intervention is a mere window dressing. Out of respect for his office, the impeachment of the deputy governor will no longer see the daylight, but as long as Akeredolu remains in hiding, it is not yet Uhuru: the cat-and-mouse race will continue. The siege is not yet over,” the PDP said.
