Will Ondo State survive after the peace agreement?

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the weekend hosted a meeting of factions in the protracted political crisis in Ondo State. And when the fog cleared of the talks inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the factions mired in political crisis in the state were said to have reached a truce after talks mediated by the President. There were even storms in a teacup before it became clear that the doctrine was needed, such as when the doctrine was the political strategy that brought President Jonathan to power in 2010. In the coastal region, the status quo has been maintained with Governor Rotimi Akeredolu remaining in office, making it clear that deputy governors should no longer fear impeachment.

The President convened stakeholders in the state, including members of parliament, Deputy Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa and party leaders, in Abuja to defuse the tension created by the absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who has been running the state from Ibadan, Ondo State. capital.
However, there was a bug to the effect that Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was to submit an undated resignation letter to President Tinubu, assuring the governor that he would not disrupt the political system in the state while running the government until he fully recovered. Ta. Akeredolu remains missing. What is clear is that despite Governor Akeredolu’s continued incapacity, Mr Ayedatiwa will retain his office and run the government but will not be declared acting governor.This is part of the agreement at the weekend’s dispute resolution meeting

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.Photo: Twitter

Another lesson learned from the meeting was that the lieutenant governor was specifically instructed not to tamper with the government structure and the state executive council. It was also resolved that the parliamentary leadership should remain unchanged and that national activities should continue as before the conflict.
Spokesman in the House of Assembly, Olatunji Oshati, yesterday shed further light on the resolution, saying the rationale behind the safeguards was that members of the state executive council who were hostile to the deputy governor during the crisis were victimized. He said this was done to allay concerns that this may happen. Mr. Oshati further added, “There is no need for the lieutenant governor to be the acting governor because our father, the governor, is still there…There is no reason to defame the governor. Because we are all indebted to him,” he added. Therefore, we were careful not to make any decisions that would hurt him. ”

Mr. Akeredolu’s illness and absenteeism triggered political gamesmanship and enmity between the deputy governor and the principal. Due to the protracted crisis, most of the lieutenant governor’s aides, including media personnel, were fired by the governor.
When Akeredolu returned from sick leave in August this year, the state House of Assembly suddenly acted to remove the deputy governor for “dishonesty” and “grave misconduct”.

However, the lieutenant governor obtained an order from the Federal High Court preventing the presiding judge and members from proceeding further until the court hears Mr Ayedatiwa’s application.
The crisis split Akeredolu’s cabinet and parliament into factions and paralyzed governance of the state. In most cases, the heads of the three branches of government do not come to the state. There is about a year left until the end of Akeredolu’s term as governor. He was re-elected to a second term in October 2020.

Chief Seyinde Alogbofa of the Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere has expressed concern over the resolution agreed to at a meeting held by Tinubu with factions of the political crisis in Ondo State on Friday.
On the resolution of the meeting to declare Deputy Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa as Acting Governor, Mr. Alogbofa warned that further crisis could arise in the absence of an empowered person in the state government.

As Elder Alogbofa pointed out, if the governor is in office, there is no need for an acting governor. However, if the governor is not currently in office due to illness and only holds power outside the state, then someone with the authority to assume the governing duties is needed.

When a crisis is resolved but there is no one with that authority, as is the case in Ondo State today, a state of anomie exists. The morning after the armistice, who will make the decision in Ondo State? Although the concern of the state’s citizens and the president is peace in the state, the agreed ceasefire is unlikely to affect the state’s development. From now on, salaries and pensions can be paid more regularly in the state, but that is not news about the development of the state, which has suffered several reversals as a result of the prolonged illness and the resulting crisis.
Can we conclude that the President has resolved the crisis in Ondo State? Will the Deputy Governor be allowed to preside over the State Executive Council on a regular basis? Will he be able to prepare a 2024 spending bill? Couldn’t the snake that was chasing everyone in the state just get hit and killed? There is a snake here. The Ayedatiwa faction wanted the deputy governor to become the acting governor, while the Akinteriwa-led group wanted to impeach the deputy governor to pave the way for Akinteriwa in 2024/2025. Did the president’s intervention kill the snake?

Is there a noticeable difference between what the president has done and what the Masari-led (APC) peace committee has done? Did they just appeal to both sides to sheathe their swords? Did the cabal that has been using the governor’s name to do things with public funds fail to win the battle for continued control of the levers of power in Ondo State?
Since August 2023, the political leadership of local governments in the state has been dismantled and nothing has happened since then. Can the governor or deputy governor call local government elections after the ceasefire? The issue in Ondo State is a succession crisis. How will suitable candidates emerge from this so-called resolution?
It is a tragedy that Governor Akeredolu’s name is being dragged down like this, not because of a disease that no one can control. May the balm of Gilead be delivered to the Governor as soon as possible. The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who bravely spoke out against federalism and the transition of power, should not be negatively reported where the weakness of governance institutions is the focus. The governor is generally believed to be a person of honor. The former State Attorney General (Akeredolu) should not be involved in the destruction of organic laws in this land. He is the High Minister of the Temple of Righteousness. He should speak out and let the people see him organically. Is he in Nigeria?

Lucky Aiedatiwa

Do the people of Ondo State want to see and hear about development plans rather than succession and conspiracy politics? The people of Ondo South Senatorial District, particularly the Ikale, Ilahe, Apoi and Ijaw communities across the four local government areas of Okitipupa, Irahe, Irere and Ese-Odo, have been without power for about 15 years. . So are the people of Ore and Odigbo Local Government Councils who are suffering from power outages despite being partially connected.

Parliamentarians and other political leaders in the region have been doing their best to restore power to the affected areas. But the truth is that despite the best efforts of the leaders, nothing came of it. People are still in the dark. It’s time for testimony. There are three universities in Ondo State. The one established in Okitipupa during the Agag regime has been left unfunded. Universities are like glorified middle school campuses. Adekunle Ajasin University, the oldest university in Akumba, is also underfunded. Academic and non-academic staff are also not paid regular salaries. Ondo Town has a medical university established by the Mimiko administration. Universities need better funding. No one who wants to become the next governor has asked whether Ondo State really needs three state universities when there is a Federal University of Technology in Akure. Located in Ondo is the Adeyemi College of Education, Nigeria’s oldest university of education, which has been awarding degrees for over 25 years. It is now the Federal University of Education. How are high school students performing on WAEC, NECO, and JAMB exams in recent years? What is the current state of education funding in Ondo State? It will tell us what the future of the nation will be. There are other questions to ask your representatives from different regions in the state Legislature. But most of them have been working hard to impeach the lieutenant governor who had to fight as acting governor for the progress of the state.

So, let us ask the authorities and political leaders in Abuja and Akure why the law cannot govern in Ondo State where a senior Nigerian lawyer presides. Article 191(1) of the Nigerian Constitution states: “If the office of Governor becomes vacant due to death, resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor shall assume the office of Governor. It is stipulated that remove the Governor from office for any other reason pursuant to Article 188 or 189 of this Constitution; ”

In short, what is the constitutional basis for the “Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism” that the President and his minions imposed on Ondo State at the weekend? In any case, I, along with other people of the state, wish Governor Akeredolu a speedy recovery so that Ondo State can breathe life again.

Source: guardian.ng