By Augustine Akhilomen

The animosity and not too cordial relationship between state governors and their deputies have been the bane of our democracy since independence. It was even more pronounced during the Second, Third Republics. And the current dispensation has witnessed more acrimonious fights between the governors and their deputies.

During the Second Republic, Nigerians saw what happened between Pa Adekunle Ajasin, the governor of old Ondo State and his deputy, Chief Akin Omoboriowo. It was the same scenario in old Oyo State between Chief Bola Ige and his deputy, Chief Sunday Afolabi.

In the current dispensation, we saw how the relationship between Senator Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Femi Pedro played out; In Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha and Jude Agbaso ended their relationship in a sour note, not to mention Eze Madumere who replaced Agbaso.

In Kano, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his deputy, Hafiz Abubakar fight at the end; Governor Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State and his deputy, Chris Ekpenyong; In Ekiti, Governor Ayodele Fayose vs Abiodun Aluko; In Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko had a frosty relationship with his deputy, Chief Ali Olanusi; We are yet to see the end of the battle between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu. And then the current shame going on before our very eyes in Ondo State between the governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Governor Akeredolu, it would be recalled, had jetted out of the country in June 2023 after he took ill and handed over power to his deputy, after informing the state House of Assembly, in acting capacity.

However, since the return of the governor from his medical leave in Germany some few weeks ago, there has been an uneasy atmosphere in the government house, between the governor and his Deputy over allegations that the latter planned to take over power from him due to his health condition.

Akeredolu, has been at the centre of criticisms from the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and also within the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his decision to run the affairs of the state from his private residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and meeting his cabinet members who are briefing him on the activities of government while he was away.

Before now, ‘Aketi’ as he’s fondly called by his supporters had accused his deputy governor of disloyalty while he was away. But Aiyedatiwa denied the allegation, describing it as fabricated lies sponsored against his personality. He challenged the group, which he described as faceless and blamed political gladiators seeking to succeed the governor.

It was within this crisis that the governor sacked all the media aides of his deputy and disbanded the press crew attached to his office. Besides, Akeredolu aides also accused Aiyedatiwa of desperation to take over from his boss, and they have been doing everything possible to deplete the popularity of the deputy governor and ensure that he does not take over in case the governor becomes incapable of running the state.

Also, Aiyedatiwa has been threatened with impeachment by the state House Of Assembly over alleged financial misappropriation bordering on the approval of alleged N300 million for the purchase of a bulletproof SUV for himself. A development that occurred while Aiyedatiwa was acting, when his boss went on medical vacation in Germany.

The ongoing frosty relation between the two top citizens has affected governance in the state and the people do not really know who is in charge between a governor who is ruling from Ibadan and his embattled deputy who is fighting the battle of his political life. The ultimate loser in this battle of gladiators is the people who want the government to take care of their welfare. “It’s really unfortunate that a governor who the people voted for decided to breach the trust and act as if he was above the laws of the land”, says Gbenga Folarin, a native of the state and a close watcher of Ondo politics.

Folarin noted that the ideal thing was for the deputy to take over the reign of power. “The governor should have transferred power to his deputy to carry since he is incapacitated. What is happening is a shame and they should be called to order”.

Some observers also shared the above opinion, that the deputy governor should be given the privilege to handle the affairs of the state since the governor is not fit enough to exercise his responsibility.

Speaking on the situation, the Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy to Governor Akeredolu, Doyin Odebowale said that “ruthless politicians” and their loyalists who benefited immensely from the governor had portrayed his ill-health in bad light while he was away for medical attention in Germany. He said desperate politicians heated the political environment in the state by spreading falsehood.

“I can tell you that when the governor was away, there was little governance in Ondo State as people were more interested in succeeding him. It is within their rights but they were distracting us.

“There were postings of the obituary of the governor more than five times. They wanted power and not to serve the people. They created the impression that the governor was not in charge of anything,” he said

Another analyst, Jimoh Adeleye said that the power play in the APC ahead of the primary election would be tough, adding that the gladiators seem to have intimidating profiles and connections.

“Funny enough, Akeredolu is back, but several people have been running to Abuja to get blessings from one political father or another. I am sure that Tinubu’s role would come into play when the chips are down. He has always shown interest in Ondo politics.

“So, it depends on who is in the good books and who can manoeuvre his or her way. But what is sure is that whoever is getting the ticket would have to sweat it out, both financially and at the grassroots,” he said.

But Ige Asemudara, counsel for Aiyedatiwa, was quick to counter the above positions, saying that the feud between Governor Akeredolu and his deputy is all about the 2024 governorship election in the state.

Asemudara stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, saying, “One of the very serious issues we have in this country is abuse of the legal process. In your introduction, you said maybe the political crisis in Ondo is about the next election. And I can tell you this is not unconnected with the permutations of the November governorship election in Ondo State.

“There are several other issues. As we speak, the governor is not of sound health so we should not be talking about impeaching the deputy governor. They are just trying to pave the way for some sort of anarchy.

“The same elements in the state House of Assembly have refused to account for the oil derivation funds from the federal government. Their fear is that any Ilaje man close to government is not good for them

Meanwhile, the State Chapter of the PDP, in a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei, said Akeredolu should rather come back to the state and settle down to the business of governance instead of chasing perceived enemies in his government.

“The people who eagerly fasted and prayed for the quick recovery of Akeredolu while his medical leave lasted, are shocked that the man they prayed for his return to Nigeria has not been seen for more than five weeks in Ondo State, where he was elected to govern.

“Instead, what we have seen is the fireworks in the APC for Akeredolu’s successor in next year’s governorship election. Interestingly, there is no better proof of betrayal of the Ondo State people than the total absence of governance, occasioned by governor’s disappearance and the macabre dance engaged in by his loyalists, the Ondo State House of Assembly, and the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

“This set of people have no business with governance, as the opportunity given them has turned out to be intolerable pain for the people. I am very sure that in next year’s election, they will be taught the bitter lesson of taking people for granted.

The PDP said though it was not a crime to be ill, Akeredolu’s handlers had allegedly mismanaged the situation. It, therefore, called on the state’s House of Assembly to immediately raise a medical panel to ascertain the governor’s health status while the lawmakers should also begin a process for his impeachment.

“The time has come for the Ondo State House of Assembly to immediately begin the impeachment process of Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) for violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

“Unfortunately, rather than tell the citizens the truth, most of Akeredolu’s handlers have resorted to insulting the sensibilities of the people by making a public show of their ignorance. The handling of Akeredolu’s condition by his aides has robbed the governor of public sympathy.


“The Constitution envisaged that it is possible for a state governor to be ill or incapacitated as is the case with Akeredolu now and therefore made safeguards. Section 193(2) states expressly that ‘the governor of a state shall hold regular meetings with the deputy governor and all commissioners of the government of the state for the purposes of determining the general direction of policies of the state’ amongst other provisions.

But in a swift reaction, the Majority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, dismissed the impeachment call, saying the opposition lacks the knowledge of what constitutes impeachable offences against a governor.

Ogunmolasuyi said Akeredolu had not failed in his duties as governor and had not breached any aspect of the constitution. “The Assembly has noted ongoing developmental projects across the state including prompt payment of salaries and clearing of backlog of salary arrears.

“The governor is doing his duties. Everything is going well in the state. We have met with the governor and all those who want to meet with him. If the governor is not doing what he is supposed to do, we will question him. He has signed all bills brought before him. What we know is that the PDP is a dead party. They cannot stipulate the duties of the governor.”

And just as everyone thought that the crisis was coming to end, the state State House of Assembly on Monday resumed its bid to impeach the Deputy Governor over allegations of gross misconduct.

It was indeed earlier reported that the Assembly had suspended the impeachment process last week following a meeting with Abdullahi Ganduje, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman.

However, in a letter to the state’s chief judge, Olusegun Odunsola, the Assembly asked him to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the allegations against Mr Aiyedatiwa.

Mr Aiyedatiwa is accused of 14 offences, including speaking against the governor’s health, causing division among the state executive members, and misappropriation of funds.

No doubt, with Akeredolu’s second term ending in about 17 months and election expected to be held in the later half of 2024 to choose his successor, political alignment and realignment are not unexpected, but elders in the state should call on the governor to handover to his deputy so that governance in the state would not continue to suffer.

For sure, the country had passed through this route before when the former governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai fell down from his private jet and was bedridden for many months. After spending many months overseas and back in the state, he still refused to transfer power to his deputy until he left office and eventually died.

So, governance will continue to suffer in Ondo State if good reasoning does not prevail and these gladiators are not called to order. Certainly this show of shame must not be allowed to continue; that is why top citizens and elders in the state should come together to find a way out. Enough of these unnecessary brickering and politicking; the governor should do the needful and if he refused, the state lawmakers should move against him and force him to do what the constitution stipulates.