Some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have asked that the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, be empowered as acting governor, just hours after President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the political crisis engulfing Ondo State.
At the weekend, the APC’s chieftains in Akure, under the banner of the Ondo APC Progressives Stakeholders, demanded that Aiyedatiwa should take over as Acting Governor in order to resolve the political impasse in the state in compliance with constitutional laws.
The status quo, as advocated for by Tinubu, would see Aiyedatiwa remain in her position as deputy governor.
After a meeting in Akure, members of the Ondo APC voiced worries that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s absence has had a negative impact on the state’s economy and administration.
It was stressed in a statement issued after the meeting that the House of Assembly must immediately authorize Aiyedatiwa to assume the responsibilities of the acting governor. The statement was signed by the meeting’s chairman, a former member of the House of Representatives named Hon. Afe Olowookere, and the meeting’s secretary, a former APC Secretary in the state named Hon. Raman Rotimi.
The APC believes that its members should have a say in who fills political and party roles through appointment or election.
“The party’s elders and leaders should be honored and given a prominent place inside the party, not ignored and shunned.
“The system of writing the names of party executives and candidates without proper procedure will be objected to and contested with all political and legal measures possible,_ the statement stated.