Ondo Crisis: Tinubu Tells Akeredolu to Transfer Power to Deputy

President Bola Tinubu has directed Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, due to his weakness.

The transfer of power will be done through electronic signature, as Akeredolu is too weak to sign any document. Tinubu summoned Aiyedatiwa and House of Assembly Speaker Olamide Oladiji to Aso Villa in Abuja for an urgent meeting to resolve the leadership crisis in the state.

The meeting was due to mounting pressure from civil society organisation Take-It-Back, which threatened mass protests across Ondo State from December 16 to demand Akeredolu’s resignation.

The ailing governor has gone AWOL since returning to Nigeria in September from a three-month medical leave in Germany.

Aiyedatiwa was initially agreed to invoke the doctrine of necessity to make Aiyedatiwa the acting governor, but some pleaded that it would humiliate the ailing governor. Babajide, Akeredolu’s son, promised to obtain his father’s e-signature to pen a letter to the State House of Assembly, transferring power to the deputy governor.

Nigerian State Governor Akeredolu has been undergoing treatment for leukemia, a blood cancer caused by an increase in white blood cells. His family has kept his health status hush-hush to maintain control over the state.

A forensic report by the Association of Forensic Professionals of Nigeria (AFPON) confirmed that Akeredolu’s signature was forged on an official document. The investigation was initiated by the State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razaq Obe, who wrote to the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, confirming the forgery of Akeredolu’s signature on an official document relating to his ministry.

The commissioner sent the suspicious signature, handwriting samples, and copies of the old regular signatures to forensic experts, who confirmed that the signature and handwriting were indeed forged.

This report was summarized from a news report on Sahara Reporters