In the early hours of Wednesday, Nigerians woke up to the news that Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo State Governor, had passed away after a protracted battle with prostate cancer. He was 67.
Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Akeredolu’s deputy, who had also been standing in as the acting governor of the state, has been sworn in as the late governor’s successor.
Born on January 12, 1965, in Obe-Nla, an oil-producing community in the Ilaje area of the state, Aiyedatiwa had his primary school education at Saint Peter’s Primary School, Obe-Nla, between 1970 and 1976. He then attended Ikosi High School, Ketu, Lagos, for his secondary school education, graduating in 1982. In 1986, he obtained a Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) in economics and government from the Lagos State College of Education. In 2013, he obtained a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
In June, Aiyedatiwa was accused of incessantly beating Oluwaseun, his wife, by a group called the Society for Women Empowerment.
In its accusation, the group alleged that Ayedatiwa had physically assaulted his wife twice in four months, which, according to it, was against the ethics of his office.
However, the deputy governor, in a statement, described the group as faceless, saying he had never raised his hands on his wife since they got married.
AKEREDOLU’S LONG ABSENCE AND PEOPLE’S CLAMOUR FOR TRANSFER OF POWER
Shortly after Akeredolu travelled to Germany in June, there were reports that he was incapacitated and might not likely complete his tenure due to the nature of his ailment.
His long absence subsequently created cracks, tension, uproar and mistrust among members of his cabinet, party members, political aides and associates, and this also led to a strain in his relationship with Aiyedatiwa, his deputy.
Akeredolu’s health status soon became a big issue, with many stakeholders in Ondo State, including members of the opposition, socio-cultural groups in the country and non-governmental organisations, criticising him for his failure to hand over power to Aiyedatiwa.
These groups of people were quick to remind the deceased governor that he once criticised Umaru Yar’adua, the late Nigerian president, for not transmitting power to Goodluck Jonathan, his then vice president, while he was away.
The intense clamour for Akeredolu to hand over power to Aiyedatiwa led to a clear division among their loyalists.
SACKING OF MEDIA AIDES
On September 12, and upon his return to the country, Akeredolu sacked all the members of Aiyedatiwa’s media team, directing them to report to their various ministries and stations and instructing them to submit all government properties in their possession before leaving.
The reason for the sacking of the media aides were never stated. It was, however, rumoured that the action was taken due to Akeredolu’s camp’s belief that Aiyedatiwa was no longer loyal to the governor and that he was desperate to take over from him as Ondo State’s number one.
As an aftermath of Akeredolu’s action, the then deputy governor issued as a statement to say “he remained loyal to his principal”.
Between September and October, Aiyedatiwa survived an impeachment move orchestrated by some members of the Ondo State House of Assembly who were believed to be loyal to Akeredolu.
The deputy governor survived the impeachment plot through a legal process and the intervention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level.
TINUBU’S MEDIATION
In late November, Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president, had a marathon meeting with Aiyedatiwa, Akeredolu’s allies, 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 in Abuja.
During the meeting, Tinubu advised all warring parties in the state to bury their hatchets and embrace peace.
Tinubu’s comments during the meeting also suggested that he favoured Akeredolu to remain governor while Aiyedatiwa was continued in his role as the state’s deputy governor.
After the meeting, Aiyedatiwa declared he would “maintain the status quo and unite all the factions”.
SWEARING-IN AND FANFARE
On December 13, while leaving for Germany for the second time to receive treatment, Akeredolu once again handed over the affairs of state to Aiyedatiwa.
Following Akeredolu’s death on Wednesday, and while Aiyedatiwa was being sworn into office as Ondo State’s new governor, the atmosphere at the government house, Alagbaka, Akure, venue for the swearing-in ceremony, hardly suggested that a governor had just died. FIJ
