Rotimi Akeredolu Resignation Looms as Ondo Demands Resumption

Rotimi Akeredolu’s ailment has made the people of Sunshine State demand his resignation as he has directly incapacitated his Deputy Governor in keeping the day-to-day running of government responsibilities active in serving Ondo residents and partners in both the foreign/public and private sectors. The ailment, leukaemia, which has raised concerns for months now, has made citizens plan to put up with a protest expected to hold convergence on Saturday, 16th of December, at the state capital town hall. A convergence that calls for his resumption or resignation on failure to allow the Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to perform the responsibilities of the office of the Governor since his failure to resume office in July 2023.

One of many responsibilities of Deputy Governors is to assist the Governor in exercising primary assignments and is also eligible to replace a dead, impeached, absent, or ill Governor as required by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. This, however, as it appears, is a leadership crisis that needs urgent curtailing before all hell breaks loose.

It is worth noting that the call for his resignation has raised concern that draws the Department of State Services (DSS) attention to getting involved as alleged in threatening the Deji of Akure Palace to not allow any youth into the Akure Town Hall Venue for a planned Townhall event which seeks to call out Governor Akeredolu’s resumption and immediate resignation on failure to adhere to citizens demand on his Deputy taking over. The SSS or DSS, as widely recognized, is tasked with the responsibilities of counter-intelligence, medical intelligence, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives threats, economic intelligence, internal security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance, as well as investigating some other types of serious crimes against the state. A protest or town hall meeting is constitutional.

Allegedly, the three-artar government agency has adapted to following the directives of the President wherever party leadership crisis arises, which can be said to be unofficial. The SSS is a security agency, not a political party-affiliated agency. However, their recent partisanship pre and post-election has communicated otherwise to the public perception of the agency yet shows up in other political party issues of state concerns. In September, the people of Ondo State were informed that Rotimi Akeredolu had fired the deputy governor’s assistants, workers, and aides. Many people in the state believed that the APC leaders had issued the order because they wanted to maintain control over the state’s oil resources since they had assumed full responsibility for it during Akeredolu’s absence and planned to do so.

While the responsibility of holding the government accountable falls on the citizens, the state of carrying on with the protest or complying with State Security compliance on not exercising their fundamental human rights will in time, determine the state of Ondo as its leadership crisis unfolds.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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