Barely 24 hours after the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa formally declared his intention to contest the November 16 governorship election in the state, some members of the House of Assembly have distanced themselves from the endorsement by the Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji.
This was contained in a statement signed by 13 members of the Assembly and made available to journalists in Akure, the state capital, on Wednesday.
In the statement, the lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in the speaker.
Also, Richard Olatunde, the former Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that the late governor never wished the current governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to succeed him.
Aiyedatiwa, on Tuesday in Akure, declared his intention to contest the governorship election of the state coming up in November this year.
The speaker, in his goodwill message, assured the governor of the support of the members of the Assembly in getting the ticket of the All Progressives Congress and winning the main election in November.
Oladiji said, “We have about 18 (out of 26) members of the Ondo State House of Assembly, are here with Governor Aiyedatiwa. The Ondo House is for Aiyedatiwa, even those who are not APC, they are in the same struggle with us. My advice to our leaders across the 18 local governments, go back to your local governments and do the needful.
“Let the reconciliation continue come April 24, (primary), we will deliver Hon. Aiyedatiwa. On behalf of the honourable members of Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Governor, congratulations in advance.”
However, some members of the Assembly have kicked against the declaration of the speaker, saying the parliament has not endorsed any of the governorship aspirants yet, describing the statement of the speaker as embarrassing and disappointing.
The lawmakers who signed the statement included Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi (Majority Leader), Moyinolorun Taiwo Ogunwumiju (Parliamentary Secretary), Oluwarotimi Fasonu (Chief Whip), Olajide Oguntodu (Minority Leader), Raymond Daodu (Deputy Minority Leader), and Akinsuroju Nelson.
Others are Akomolafe Temitope, Ifabiyi Olatunji, Agbulu Akeem, Christopher Ayebusiwa, Atinuke Witherspoon, Biola Oladapo and Afe Felix.
The statement read partly, “At no point did the Ondo State House of Assembly deliberate the governorship ambition of any of the numerous aspirants that have indicated their interests to contest for the state’s 2024 governorship election, let alone agree to support any particular aspirant.
“Mr Speaker lacks the moral and legal authority to speak or pledge support for any governorship aspirant on behalf of the House without the explicit consent of members.
“Mr Speaker has, by his unconventional and false public declaration, misrepresented the honourable House, and in so doing, brought the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly into disrepute, caused needless controversies and breached our confidence in his leadership.
“Consequently, we hereby pass a vote of no-confidence in the leadership of the Speaker, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji.”
Akeredolu didn’t anoint Aiyedatiwa as successor, says late gov’s ex-spokesperson
Richard Olatunde, former Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has also said that the late governor never wished the current governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to succeed him.
Olatunde made his position known in a statement made available to journalists.
He was also reacting to Aiyedatiwa’s claim that the late governor desired that he succeed him as governor.
In February, Aiyedatiwa claimed that he was part of the legacies of his predecessor, adding that the latter had wished him (Aiyedatiwa) to succeed him as the governor.
He added that seeing him become the next governor of the state would have been a proud moment for the deceased leader if he was alive.
But in his reaction on Tuesday, Olatunde stated that contrary to Aiyedatiwa’s claim, the late governor never wished to be succeeded by him.
He warned Aiyedatiwa to stop exploiting the deceased governor’s name for political gain.
He said, “This narrative regarding the alleged wish of our late leader and father figure, late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for Governor Aiyedatiwa to succeed him has gone too far to be disregarded.
“This narrative began even before our leader was laid to rest. Out of respect and utmost reverence for our late governor, we chose not to engage with those spreading this narrative.
“While we acknowledge that the political atmosphere in the state is intensifying, we want to unequivocally state that the late governor did not anoint or express a desire for Aiyedatiwa to succeed him. On the contrary, the relationship between the late governor and Governor Aiyedatiwa became strained and distant until his passing.
“Despite attending official matters and meeting people from Akure, the late governor intentionally kept Mr. Aiyedatiwa, who was the deputy governor at the time, away from him in Ibadan.
“Our late governor was deeply disappointed and regretful of certain behaviours and character traits displayed by Mr. Aiyedatiwa during his health challenges, which ultimately led to his passing.
“We have also observed the circulation of a video recorded during the swearing-in ceremony of the late governor and Mr. Aiyedatiwa as governor and deputy governor, respectively. Undoubtedly, our late governor had high hopes for Mr. Aiyedatiwa. The late Akeredolu never concealed his intentions.
“One thing that discerning minds can clearly see is the turn of events in the latter half of last year. Trust was betrayed. Confidence was shattered. And the true colours of desperation overshadowed the good intentions of our late governor. What followed was a tale of disappointment and betrayal. Our late leader, to say the least, was heartbroken before his demise.
“We, therefore, caution Mr. Aiyedatiwa to cease these deceptive tactics and focus on his campaign. Akeredolu’s ardent followers, including members of his family, do not support Mr. Aiyedatiwa’s aspiration to clinch the ticket of the party.”
