Tinubu says stakeholders agree in principle that Akeredolu must be ousted

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The five-month political impasse in Ondo State over the absence of SAN Governor Rotimi Akeredolu ended yesterday when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other key stakeholders reiterated the principle. Since the agreement has been reached, it may end soon. It became necessary to declare the embattled deputy governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, as acting governor. The President yesterday met with some Akeredolu cabinet ministers and Ondo State legislators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he made the decision.

Akeredolu returned from Germany on September 7 but has not stayed in the state since his return. He is said to be recuperating at his private residence in Itami City.

The resolution allows the Ondo State House of Assembly to reconvene on Monday and may invoke the doctrine of the need to declare Aiyedatiwa full powers to govern the state.

“The principle of necessity states that administrative efforts aimed at restoring order or maintaining fundamental principles of the constitution, even if doing so violates established constitutions, laws, norms, or customs, It is the basis on which unusual actions by authorities are considered lawful.”

The doctrine was first introduced in Nigeria in 2010 during the turmoil caused by former Prime Minister Umaru Yardua’s prolonged absence over his health and deliberate action by some ministers to remove Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from his acting position. spread inside. president.

Yardua, who is ailing, was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia and was unable to officially hand over the presidency to his vice president.

The National Assembly intervened by invoking the doctrine of necessity to declare Goodluck Jonathan as acting president, without resorting to the constitutional considerations that require a president in bed to make a declaration.

As a result, normality and order were quickly restored and Nigeria was able to make progress in the management of the country.

A source told the Guardian that President Tinubu was concerned about political developments in the state after Akeredolu’s long absence and the power struggle that had divided commissioners and members in the state.

Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the party, apart from the President and other key executives of the Presidency; Ayedatiwa, Secretary of State, Ondo State Government (SSG), Oladunni Odu. Former National Party Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; Patrick Ayo Akinyelua, State Treasurer Wale Akirinwa; Chairman of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Olamide Olaziji; The state APC Chairman, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, and some members of the state House of Assembly attended the meeting.

It was gathered that the governor’s sick wife, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu, and her son Babajide, who were at the villa for the meeting, were not allowed to enter the meeting venue where important decisions were taken.

The decision to make Ayedattiwa the acting governor comes on the heels of an impeachment plan against him that has divided cabinet and state legislators.

The state remains in turmoil over plans to impeach the lieutenant governor. A Guardian investigation revealed that before the meeting, 11 out of 26 MPs were aligned with Ayedatiwa’s camp, with the aim of ensuring that the deputy governor assumes the role of acting governor.

Early yesterday, 11 MPs were scheduled to convene in parliament to discuss the issue and reach an agreement. However, the meeting was adjourned pending the outcome of the meeting involving Mr. Tinubu and other stakeholders.

When the Guardian visited the Ondo State House, the atmosphere on the premises was calm, with the complex’s usual security guards manning gates and checking vehicles before allowing entry.

The leaders of pan-Yoruba socio-political organizations, Mr. Afenifere, Mr. Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and other traditional and religious elders in the state had a few days ago appealed to Mr. Tinubu to participate in the political imbrorio in the state. I want you to remember.

Just last week, some ministers passed a vote of confidence in Akeredolu citing his “exemplary leadership style”, which he said was rewarding the people and the nation at large.

The communiqué was signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Oladunni Odu. Chief of Staff to Governor Olugbenga Are. Mr. Kayode Ogundele, Head of Service; 16 members. and 12 special advisors.

However, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Mineral Resources Razak Obe and the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives Akinwumi Sowore did not sign the communiqué and Mr Aiyedatiwa was not included in the list.

An investigation by the Guardian revealed that both the governor’s and Ayedatiwa’s camps initially fought over how to bring Exco to their side.

A well-informed source within the cabinet revealed that some people loyal to the lieutenant governor made the first move to secure the signatures of a significant number of cabinet members to pass a motion of no confidence against the governor.

Sources, who requested anonymity, said Akeredolu’s camp learned of the machinations of Mr. Ayedatiwa’s men and supporters of the governor sprung into action to quickly mobilize cabinet members to pass a vote of confidence.

“You know that the Cabinet has been divided for some time, but we know that people close to Lucky (Lieutenant Governor) are working underground to get some of us on side and pass the bill. vote of no confidence in Aketi (Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu).

“You know that only the governor can take legal action on whether there is incompetence on the part of the governor, whether there is a vacuum in the governance of the state. That’s what I was trying to do.

“When we learned of their plans for the person who appointed them to the cabinet, we outsmarted them and then expressed our support for the governor. Even those who thought they were with us turned around and wrote the communiqué. I signed it.”

Regarding why he did not sign the communiqué, Obe, who is said to be close to the vice president, expressed skepticism about the motives of the party who asked an unidentified person within the cabinet to sign it.

The Secretary of Energy, Mines and Mineral Resources revealed that the Exco meeting was not held before the vote of confidence in the governor was decided.

“I left Akure to attend a meeting and before I left I informed the Chief of Staff about it. So after that they asked me to add my signature to the document. I called it a vote of confidence and I said someone could share a copy with me so I could know about it before my signature was printed.

“The person who contacted me asking me to send them an e-signature said they didn’t have one, so I won’t send one because they’re asking me to drop my signature on a document I don’t know anything about. did” .

“There was no executive meeting. There’s nothing like that. So I was careful about dropping my signature on documents I didn’t know about.”

Sowore described his colleagues’ move to issue such a communiqué as the work of desperate politicians.

“In a situation like this, the votes passed by the state cabinet don’t count because we are the governor’s appointees in the first place. We can’t even say we don’t trust him. We can’t trust the government. People have to resign. So, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no point in forcing a vote of confidence. We don’t have the power to remove a governor as a cabinet minister.

“So passing a vote of confidence in the governor doesn’t add anything to the governor in the first place. So it’s the desperate politicians in this country who create a crisis when there isn’t one.

“I have no problem with the governor, he is the governor of the state.In fact, he does not give men a break in the first place.There was no excos meeting.The governor was far away in Ibadan and his deputy was far away fighting in Abuja. As a result, there was no one to chair the state executive council.

“Even if I were around, I would not sign it because I am obligated to tell them what to do with people who are not lawyers. Foreign affairs meetings are not held, except during the deputy governor’s representation period. However, no foreign affairs meeting has been held since the governor resumed his duties on September 7, 2023.”

Human rights lawyer Allen Sowore, who criticized Exco members over the vote of confidence passed to Akeredolu, described the move as a futile exercise.

The legal expert said that in the presidential form of government practiced in the country, there is no scope for passing a vote of confidence against the elected person.

Mr Sowore revealed that the underground plot by Exco was to pass a motion of no confidence against Deputy Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, who is at odds with his boss. `

“Votes of no confidence are a feature of parliamentary democracies. In such a system, an elected parliament can express support or demand that the prime minister be removed from office.”

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Source: guardian.ng