The peace deal brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was threatened yesterday following the misinterpretation of its terms by some members of the Ondo State House of Assembly.
There was tension in the state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Ondo State Executive Council over a plot to unseat Governor Rotimi Akeredolu by some lawmakers who insisted that Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa should be pronounced as Acting Governor, contrary to the terms of the agreement.
Also, trouble is brewing over whether the local government election should be conducted or whether interim management committees should be set up.
The crisis escalated as pro-Ayedatiwa lawmakers claimed that the Abuja peace deal had conferred on the deputy governor the power of the Acting Governor.
However, the House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, disagreed, saying he would stand by the agreement reached at Aso Villa.
President Tinubu, during a meeting with the Akeredolu and Ayedatiwa camps at the weekend, urged them to sheathe their swords.
The president met the two camps on Friday after his consultation with Akeredolu on the telephone twice.
The governor has been recuperating in his Ibadan, Oyo State residence since his return from medical vacation in Germany on September 7.
Before leaving for Germany, Akeredolu transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly transferring power to his deputy. He took back power on his return.
At the weekend’s meeting were Ayedatiwa, party chairman Ade Adetimehin, Secretary to Government Oladunni Odu, Oladiji, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim and others.
Sources said President Tinubu, who pacified the two camps, warned about the consequence of splitting the Ondo APC structure, to which the two camps belong.
According to the source, the warring camps agreed on some terms, which should not be breached.
The source said: “It was agreed that the impeachment moves against the deputy governor would be dropped, the deputy governor will withdraw pending cases in court, the state executive council will not be reshuffled, the party’s executive and the House of Assembly principal leadership will not be tampered with and Ayedatiwa, who will continue to function as deputy governor, should consult his boss, Akeredolu, in running the affairs of the state.”
Besides, the deputy governor, who was asked to declare his loyalty to the governor, subscribed to an undertaking that the terms would not be breached.
He is also not expected to exploit the grave situation in the state to kick off any campaign in anticipation of next year’s governorship primary.
To ensure compliance with the terms, the source said the President raised a three-man panel to monitor Ayedatiwa’s activities and report to him.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelalec , in a statement after the meeting, said the President advised that the status quo be maintained.
He added: “This means that Governor Akeredolu remains Chief Executive of the State, Aiyedatiwa remains Deputy Governor, and members of the State Executive Council continue their respective duties, even as the leadership of the House of Assembly and the APC Chapter in Ondo State is preserved.c “
However, the state was enveloped in tension yesterday as 11 lawmakers loyal to Aiyedatiwa started to woo Akeredolu’s loyalists to their side in a bid to get majority support to pronounce the deputy governor as acting governor.
One of the lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some lawmakers were bent on shoving Akeredolu aside and installing Ayedatiwa as acting governor at today’s plenary.
He said: “On Sunday, a number of us received a call from the deputy governor. He informed us that he must be declared acting governor on Tuesday.
“When we reminded him that it wasn’t part of the resolutions reached at the meeting with the President, he said the President can’t tell us how to run Ondo State.
“All efforts to make the deputy governor understand that the resolutions would only engender peace and allow the state to move forward failed as he yelled and said over his dead body would Akeredolu remain as governor.
“The deputy governor has failed to understand that the President has given the best political solution to the issue at hand. I wonder what Mr. Deputy Governor wants again. The agreement is that you should go and do your job. Represent your boss and get the people together. Is that too hard?
“Why is he hell-bent on becoming acting governor? Is he doing it in the interest of the people of the state? The answer is definitely no.
“Aiyedatiwa believes that the only way for him to become governor is if he forcefully takes power from Akeredolu now.
“The painful part is the unbridled affront to the President’s directive that the status quo should remain. President Tinubu is a man who should be respected in Ondo State.
“Especially if you are a loyal member of the APC, you must understand that Tinubu has invested so much in the party over the years.”
The party chairman, Adetimehin, said party leaders who met with the president were committed to the peace plan.
He said no politician in the state can move against the resolution reached with President Tinubu on the impasse.
He said: “There’s nothing of such. No one dared go against the resolution reached with the President. Can anyone go against what President Tinubu has pronounced? That agreement stands and nothing more.”
Oladiji maintained that the lawmakers will abide by the outcome of the meeting with the President.
He said: “Go and read the statement from the state on the meeting. That will answer all your questions.”
The Majority Leader, Emmanuel Ogunmolasuyi, said there was no plan to either welcome the deputy governor with fanfare on Tuesday or proclaim him as acting governor.
He said: “It was collectively agreed that Akeredolu remains the governor while Aiyedatiwa remains the deputy governor and not as acting governor.
“The meeting also agreed that there should be no impeachment, the House of Assembly remains one while the State Exco remains intact. No sacking of any member and party Exco remains intact.”
The Ondo Progressives Network (OPN) expressed worry over speculations that Aiyedatiwa was plotting with some lawmakers to make him acting governor.
The group, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Ogunika Taiwo, cautioned those backing Aiyedatiwa that a breach of the resolution reached with the President would amount to insubordination and flagrant disrespect.
The statement reads: “We have observed a growing trend of discontent and dissatisfaction in the camp of the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“The activities of his known and close allies and personal aides have shown a total rejection of the stance of the President and other stakeholders who attended the Abuja meeting.
“However, we are saddened by the latest news and speculations of plots by the deputy governor in collaboration with some members of the House of Assembly to declare him acting governor against the resolutions reached in Abuja.
“We consider this as an act of insubordination and gross disrespect to the office of the President.
“We would like to advise the deputy governor Aiyedatiwa to be guided in his ambitious drive and resist the lure of desperation and insatiable quest for power. The agreement reached in Abuja would serve the interests of the people and the state….
“This is a clarion call to the deputy governor to lay all these matters to rest. Continue to function as deputy governor and desist from troubling the political water of the state.
“Fortunately, an election is around the corner. Since Mr. Deputy Governor is interested in the next election, we think disobeying the President will amount to political suicide.
“Let peace reign supreme in Ondo State. The deputy governor should also, as a matter of urgency, call his followers and allies to order. What else does Aiyedatiwa want?
“The President has stopped your impeachment. You have been guaranteed to stay till the end of the tenure. Why is he hell-bent on becoming acting governor?”
Although Aiyedatiwa could not be reached, a source close to him denied the plot, saying the deputy governor is a gentleman who believes in respecting agreements.
“The deputy governor would not go out of his way to disregard Mr President.”
