Ondo 2024: APC chieftains block Aiyedatiwa’s bid for governorship ticket

The new Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is said to be caught between retaining the state executive council constituted by his late predecessor and satisfying his loyalists seeking appointments for their loyalty.

Former Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, passed away on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, during a protracted illness in a hospital in Germany.

Aiyedatiwa, who hitherto battled political war against him while his erstwhile boss was on the sick bed, is expected to take up tasks from where his late boss stopped.

There are many tasks before the new governor to be done, failure of which may be unhealthy for the state.

Many believed that his first assignment was supposed to be the announcement of his deputy. But at the time of filing this report, Governor Aiyedatiwa was said to be busy making consultations on several political matters.

It was gathered that during his first visit, after being sworn in, to President Tinubu in Lagos last Thursday, Aiyedatiwa was said to have been advised by the former not to appoint a deputy governor yet until the APC in the state is organised and members are reconciled.

It could be recalled that during the last crisis that lingered for months, Aiyedatiwa reportedly fought against many party chieftains, Akeredolu’s aides and some members of the state House of Assembly. The party was said to have been divided over the matter, hence the advice of President Tinubu.

A reliable source informed Punch that, at the meeting with Mr President, Tinubu advised him (Aiyedatiwa) to first reconcile with all the aggrieved party members in the state before picking his deputy.

The source said, “He (Aiyedatiwa) was in Lagos yesterday (Thursday)where he met with the president. As he raised the issue of the Deputy Governor, the president asked him to go back to Ondo and reorganise the party first and make sure he also reconciled with the aggrieved members before talking about the deputy governorship.”

According to the source, the president’s advice may have prevented the governor from unilaterally taking some action without the consent of the party leaders and elders in the state.

“As it is now, he may not be able to dissolve the cabinet against the expectations of some people or sack any member of the cabinet for now, but he is still consulting,” the source stated.

On the other hand, the source disclosed that pressure was mounting on the governor by some of his loyalists and associates, who are allegedly lobbying to be appointed in the new government.

They are expecting the governor to dissolve the entire cabinet of late Akeredolu to give room for fresh hands, some of whom had allegedly been ‘starved’ by the Akeredolu administration. They believe it is now their turn to benefit from the new ‘cake’. The governor has to apply wisdom to not create more enemies for himself.

Source: PoliticsNigeria