Four Governors of Southwestern Nigeria states on Tuesday visited the ailing Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, in his private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The governors who visited Akeredolu are Seyi Makinde of Oyo, the state where Akeredolu has been working since his return to Nigeria from a medical leave in Germany; Dapo Abiodun of Ogun; Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti.
The Southwest governors’ visit to their ailing counterpart comes amid pressure from opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some legal practitioners in Ondo on Akeredolu to declare his health status and resign if he is not fit for the responsibilities of the office.
Since his return to Nigeria from a three-month medical leave in Germany, Akeredolu has holed up in his residence in Ibadan, from where he has been given directives to commissioners in his state.
However, it was not clear what the governors discussed with Akeredolu at the time of filing this report.
Akeredolu was down with blood cancer (leukemia). Leukemia is a cancer of the blood caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body.
For sufferers, the white blood cells crowd out the red blood cells and platelets needed by the body to stay healthy.
Doyin Odebowale, the Special Adviser on Special Duty and Strategy to Governor Akeredolu recently said his principal was working from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and not Ondo State due to accommodation challenges.
While featuring on Channels Television’s Politics recently, Odebowale said the lodge where the governor used to stay in Akure was no longer good enough for him considering his state of health.
He lamented the public criticism that had surrounded the governor’s absence in the state, saying Akeredolu was “surrounded by enemies from within”.
According to the governor’s aide, this includes “his family”.
He said, “Aketi came back in September. Where he used to stay – the Presidential Lodge built for the visiting president at that time of (President) Olusegun Obasanjo – is a two-bedroom apartment.
“Now, he is back. He cannot occupy that place again. The Old Governor’s Office – the Governor’s Lodge built by the previous administration is now the office of the investment outlet called the ODIPA. That’s the office.
“So, the governor has been managing a two-bedroom apartment for six years. But his current state of health would not permit him to pretend that all is well. He would need all the things for him to recover properly. That’s why the new place that is being arranged for him is almost completed.”
According to him, Akeredolu’s absence from Ondo has not affected governance in any way.
“When they say they want to see Aketi, do they want to see him at the site so that he would be carrying cement or following workmen? What exactly?
“The civil servants have been paid all their salaries. Aketi has been signing laws since he came back,” he maintained.
Earlier on Tuesday, a group of legal practitioners and concerned citizens had written to the Ondo State Executive Council to declare Governor Akeredolu unfit to remain in office due to his poor health.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, the lawyers said they made the request in accordance with section 189 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), adding that the absence of the governor had affected the socio-economic progress of the state.
The statement read in part, “Some lawyers of Ondo State origin have demanded the Ondo State Executive Council to comply with the provisions of Section 189 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) by declaring that the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN is incapacitated and unable to perform the functions of his office.
“In a letter dated the 20th October 2023 addressed to the Executive Council of Ondo State and copied to individual members of the Council including the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa; the Secretary to the State Government; and the Commissioner for Justice, the lawyers namely Joshua Sebiotimo, I.I. Bewaji, Myson Nejo, Vincent Adodo, Kehinde Olowe, Abayomi Olahanmi, Michael Ojimba, Oluwaseun J Bawa, Adeyoriju Omowole, Victoria Lipo bemoaned the current situation of the State in which governance in the State has been practically grounded as a result of the absence of the Governor and his non-performance of the functions of his office since being flown back from Germany where he was receiving medical attention.”
The lawyers consequently made the following demands from the Executive Council: the Governor should address the state on local or national stations within 14 days from the day of receipt of the letter to enable his state of medical fitness to be ascertained.
“Upon the failure of the Governor to address such press conference, the State Executive Council should declare pursuant to section 189 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that the Governor is incapacitated and unable to perform the functions of his office,” the lawyer said.
