Following the illness of Ondo state Governor Rotimi Akeredolu which has kept him away from official duties, the deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Thursday presided over a State Executive Council meeting in Akure, the state capital.
The much anticipated excos’ meeting occurred after months of political bickering between the deputy governor and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s loyalists.
Last Friday, President Bola Tinubu summoned the warring factions to a meeting in Abuja where it was agreed that the deputy governor should continue to perform his duties as deputy governor.
Insinuations are rife that the Ondo Assembly may declare Aiyedatiwa the acting governor of the state
Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), won his re-election as the state governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021.
However, the governor’s second term, since January 2023, has not been a smooth sail as he had to be flown abroad for treatment over a medical condition. The 67-year-old politician returned to Nigeria in September after months overseas but has been in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Akeredolu has been under intense pressure from opposition parties to resign or hand over power to his deputy in line with the 1999 constitution.