Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu asked the Deputy Governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for a signed resignation letter, as part of his intervention in the state’s political crisis.
Ademola-Olateju made this revelation in an interview on Channels TV’s ‘Lunchtime Politics’ on Friday.
Recall that Aiyedatiwa, on Thursday, presided over the state’s executive council meeting after a months-long political impasse between himself and the governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
The executive council meeting came after Tinubu called the warring factions loyal to Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa for the resolution of the political crisis in the state.
The Presidency said the intervention by Tinubu meant that Akeredolu remained the governor of the state while Aiyedatiwa remained the deputy governor.
Speaking on the development, the Ondo commissioner said the president asked the deputy governor for a signed undated resignation later in case anything untoward happens.
He said: “First of all, before I even talk about the Abuja meeting, I just want to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for being a very good leader, wading into the crisis in Ondo State.
“His intervention has cooled the temperature that was just going haywire in Ondo State. We thank him. At the Abuja meeting, key decisions were made by Mr President who is the leader of our party the All Progressives Congress.
“Those key decisions were that the status quo in the state be maintained.
“He decided that the executive council must not be dissolved under any condition and the party structure should be maintained; that the leadership of the House of Assembly should be intact; and he nominated three people; the Secretary to the State Government, the party chairman and the Speaker of the House to be the enforcers and to forestall further problems.
“He asked for the signed resignation letter of Honourable Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor; undated in case anything untoward happens. So that is what I know,” she said.
The Ondo State House of Assembly and its Speaker also withdrew an appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Abuja, against the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which stopped the planned impeachment of Aiyedatiwa.
The House of Assembly and its Speaker had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to handle the matter and appealed against the court’s ruling halting the planned impeachment of the deputy governor.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel for the Speaker and the Assembly, Remi Olatobura, told the three-member panel of justices of the appellate court that he has the instructions of his clients to withdraw the appeal.
