Fresh facts emerged yesterday in respect of why Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, terminated his medical leave in Germany to return to the country.
Though LEADERSHIP gathered that Akeredolu was certified fit to return home by his doctors in Germany, plans by some political gladiators in the state to use the Ondo State House of Assembly to declare him medically unfit to continue to function as the chief executive of the state informed his early departure to Nigeria.
LEADERSHIP learnt that those prompting then acting governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to succeed his ailing boss have perfected plans to impeach Akeredolu and install him.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the state’s House of Assembly was being put under pressure to ease out the ailing governor from power.
Although Akeredolu transmitted power to his deputy in line with the law, it was learnt that sustained intrigues to commence impeachment moves against him on the ground that he was medically incapacitated neccesitated his early return to the country.
The embattled governor returned to the country on Thursday after three-month medical vacation in Germany. He left the country on June 7.
He has been holding consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders from the state in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, since his return. Reliable sources in government circles in the state told LEADERSHIP that family members and political associates prevailed on him to return home apparently to ward off impeachment plans.
Family members and associates of Akeredolu have openly accused Aiyedatiwa and his associates of plotting to remove his boss from office.
Aiyedatiwa was accused of being disloyal to his boss, especially during his travails.
Already, LEADERSHIP further learnt that the jostle for control of government and reports of the nocturnal plans to remove Akeredolu had pitched him against his deputy.
It was learnt that Akeredolu’s return had unsettled the camp of his deputy reportedly said to be plotting to install him as substantive governor was caught off guard upon the return of Akeredolu on Thursday.
Some cabinet members, who have pitched tent with Aiyedatiwa in anticipation that Akeredolu would not return to office, are now gripped by fears of the possibility of losing their jobs.One of our sources said the cold war between Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa became evident following the poor reception accorded the deputy governor when he visited his boss in Ibadan on Friday.
The embattled deputy governor was only allowed to attend the meeting the governor held with members of the cabinet and House of Assembly.
Findings by LEADERSHIP revealed that Aiyedatiwa was excused from the meetings his boss held with members of the National Assembly from the state, chairmen of boards and parastatals as well as women and youth groups.
Investigations by this paper revealed that the deputy governor was allowed into the cabinet meeting since he was a member of the forum while he was admitted into the meeting with the lawmakers, ostensibly to clear the doubts that plans were being hatched to impeach him. However, our source pointed out that Aiyedatiwa was being isolated since his boss regained power on Thursday.
Cabinet members, who hitherto jostled for his recognition during his interim leadership, were said to have deserted him.
One of the sources who craved anonymity said, “The governor has to return home hurriedly on Thursday when he was faced with the possibility of his being impeached by the state’s House of Assembly. His family members and political associates mounted pressures on him to return home in the first instance even if he would return to Germany at a later date.
“The way the handlers of the deputy governor were going, governor would have been eased out on the ground that he is medically incapacitated to continue to perform the duties of office for which he was elected. The House of Assembly was being pounded to do the needful to impeach him (Akeredolu) and direct the state’s chief judge to immediately swear in the deputy governor as substantive governor.
“But the sudden and unexpected arrival of the governor on Thurday has truncated the plans. The deputy governor’s camp was jolted by the arrival of His Excellency”.
Another reliable source within government circle disclosed that the deputy governor was avoided by cabinet members and other top appointees throughout the period they were in Ibadan on Friday
Painting the picture of how the deputy government was isolated before he left Ibadan on Friday, he said, “He (Aiyedatiwa) moved from one table to another trying to ease down the pressure as people were hesitant to associate and discuss with him.
“During the governor’s separate meetings with stakeholders, the deputy was outside loitering around. Even when the wife of the governor came in to greet people, she avoided him.
“Curiously, more than 70 per cent of members had already pledged loyalty to him, while the rumours of the governor’s incapacitation raged.
“He had initiated a regular weekly meeting with loyal cabinet members, who also recruited influential party leaders to wage the war against the pro-Akeredolu men in government.
“One of the high-points of the meeting of the deputy governor’s group was to engage APC leaders in Abuja and pressurise the state Assembly to invoke doctrine of necessity by declaring Akeredolu unfit.”
Despite these revelations, the governor, due to his large heart, has resolved not to dissolve the cabinet or initiate any move to impeach his deputy, the source, who also pleaded that his name should not be mentioned in print, added.
Aiyedatiwa and his press secretary, Kenneth Odusola, ignored frantic calls to their cell phones to get their reaction to the report.
Odusola, who later returned the call, barely allowed our correspondent to pull his enquiries through when he angrily responded, “There is nothing like that. I don’t know who is even talking.”
He thereafter hung the phone. He ignored subsequent calls.
Similarly, the state’s commissioner for Information, Mrs Bamidele Olateju, declined to comment on the story.
Olateju frustrated desperate efforts by our correspondent, just as he ignored calls and messages aimed at securing her reaction.
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