The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has rejected the apology tendered by his deputy, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over the embarrassment that the ongoing political crisis must have caused in the state.
The governor, who reacted to Aiyedatiwa’s apology through his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale, also rejected some of the claims made by Aiyedatiwa in his apology and insisted that his deputy had a question to answer before the state House of Assembly.
Aiyedatiwa, who blamed the ongoing crisis on desperate politicians in the state, had said he remained loyal to the governor and also denied sponsoring any protest against Akeredolu.
The deputy governor stated this while speaking with journalists in his office in Akure on Thursday.
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Aiyedatiwa said, “I am deeply saddened by the embarrassment and discomfort that Mr Governor has faced due to the barrage of negative news in the state as a result of the events of the last few months. I tender my sincere apology to Mr Governor on this as our leader in the state.”
However, Odebowale, in his reaction on behalf of the governor, disagreed with the deputy governor’s point that Akeredolu had intervened in the crisis by asking the House to embrace political solutions to the crisis.
Odebowale also faulted the denial of the deputy governor that he had never sponsored any group to protest against the governor.
He said, “Governor Akeredolu does not meddle in the affairs of the House of Assembly of Ondo State, as subtly suggested at the (Aiyedatiwa’s) press conference. There has never been any time when the governor ‘persuaded’ the ‘distinguished members of Ondo State House of Assembly to embrace the political solution offered, by the APC, ‘in the face of an impeachment move against’ the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“The governor, a senior advocate of over two decades, possesses a deep understanding of constitutional democracy. Any snide suggestion of meddlesomeness in the business of the second arm of government by the governor is repudiated with vehemence. Mr Governor cannot descend too low.
“The deputy governor referred to the allegations of malfeasance levelled against him by the House of Assembly as ‘all sorts of lies against my person in the media.’ It is only decent that we advise him to take this defence to the same House of Assembly which came up with 14 allegations of gross misconduct against him.”
