The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, today tendered an apology to the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, over the political crisis in the State.
Speaking during a parley with journalists in his office in Akure, Aiyedatiwa lamented the embarrassment and discomfort the Governor has faced due to the barrage of negative news in the State in the last few months.
Pledging his loyalty to the Governor and commitment to the development of the State, the Deputy Governor said there was the need to calm all nerves in order to restore peace and tranquility to the Sunshine State.
He said: “I am profoundly grateful to Mr. Governor for his intervention and role in persuading the distinguished members of the Ondo State House of Assembly to embrace the political solution offered by our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the face of an impeachment move against me.
“Our beloved state has witnessed a series of events triggered by the health challenges faced by Mr. Governor, which gave rise to misunderstandings, misconceptions, assumptions, and insinuations, and exploited by political contenders preparing for the upcoming 2024 gubernatorial election.
“The recent impeachment attempt by the House of Assembly and the ensuing reactions have further created division and chaos, with my loyalty to Mr. Governor being questioned.
“It is in reference to the above that I hereby tender my unreserved apologies to Mr. Governor and the good people of Ondo state, and I assure that, together, we will both complete this journey with honour, divine guidance and in good health by the grace of God.”
“We have continued to read all sorts of lies against my person in the media. None of it is true. There has never been any issue between Mr. Governor and myself and I have never undermined Mr. Governor. This is a fabricated crisis just for the purpose of election.
“I remain fully committed to the principles of good governance that Mr. Governor has established, and I pledge my unwavering loyalty to him and I will continue to submit myself under his able, courageous and selfless leadership”, Aiyedatiwa said.
Aiyedatiwa also distanced himself from groups and individuals holding protests or calling on the Governor to resign, stressing that he has never commissioned any individual or group to engage in such campaigns.
“I have a lot of respect for the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly and members of the State Executive Council and I do not hold any grudge. I want to appeal to all the political actors in the State to allow peace so we can all concentrate on the development of our dear State”, he added.
AN ADDRESS BY HON. LUCKY ORIMISAN AIYEDATIWA, DEPUTY GOVERNOR, ONDO STATE AT THE PRESS BRIEFING, AKURE, ONDO STATE ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023.
Gentlemen of the Press, I welcome you to this very important press briefing. I said important because you are all aware of the events of the past few months in Ondo State, especially in the last one month as regards governance and politics.
Let me begin by thanking my principal, Mr. Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN, CON, who provided me with this platform to serve as the deputy governor of Ondo State. I must say it has been a worthwhile experience for me working with him for the benefit of the good people of our dear State.
However, 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.
Our beloved State has witnessed a series of events triggered by the health challenges faced by Mr. Governor which gave rise to a lot of assumptions, falsehoods, insinuations, misunderstandings, misconceptions, and exploitation by political contenders preparing for the upcoming 2024 gubernatorial election in the state.
We have continued to read in the media, all sorts of lies fabricated to create crisis just for the purpose of election. The recent impeachment attempt by the House of Assembly and the ensuing reactions have further created division and chaos, with my loyalty to Mr. Governor being questioned.
It is, therefore, imperative for me to put on record that there has never been any issue between Mr. Governor and myself and I have never undermined him. Political actors have only taken advantage of his absence to create a non-existent crisis for their own selfish interests.
Let me say it here that I am profoundly grateful to Mr. Governor for his intervention and role in persuading the distinguished members of Ondo State House of Assembly to embrace the political solution offered by our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the face of the impeachment move.
It is in reference to all of the above that I tender my unreserved apologies to Mr. Governor for the embarrassment and discomfort that the political chaos of these past months has caused him and the good people of Ondo State.
I remain fully committed to the principles of good governance that Mr. Governor has established, and I pledge my unwavering loyalty to him and I will continue to submit myself under his able, courageous and selfless leadership.
I completely distance myself from any group or individuals holding protests or calling on the Governor to resign. I have never commissioned any individual or group to engage in such protest or campaign.
I wish to thank the national leadership of our great party, APC, for the intervention on the impeachment move against me while I also pledge my commitment to the reconciliation efforts aimed at restoring peace in the state.
I have a lot of respect for the Speaker, members of the House of Assembly and members of the State Executive Council, and I do not hold any grudge. We must all work together for the smooth running of government.
I want to appeal to all political actors in the State to put an end to this needless crisis and allow peace so that we can all concentrate on the development of our dear State.
Thank you all and God bless.
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