Akani Alaka
The attempt to impeach Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor of Ondo took a diabolical turn early in the week when the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji raised the alarm about alleged threats to his life. Oladiji’s fears arose from a fetish object suspected to be a sacrifice placed at the entrance of his official residence last Monday.
Though he agreed that he had not been using the official residence, the development was scary enough for him to alert the media. However, aside from the sacrifice, the lawmaker said he had also been receiving strange calls from anonymous callers telling him to stop the attempt to impeach the deputy governor.
“I am using this medium to tell the world that my life is under threat. I call on the security operatives to checkmate these anonymous people who have been threatening my life and other members. This threat started the day we began the impeachment notice. I have already reported to NSCDC and other security agencies,” Oladiji said.
Akeredolu’s Return
Well, the alarm was one of the dramas that have characterised an attempt to impeach Aiyedatiwa which began when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu returned from medical leave some weeks ago.
Akeredolu had handed over power to Aiyedatiwa before the trip on which he spent about three months in Germany for medical treatment. However, Akeredolu remained in his Ibadan, Oyo State residence from where he handed letters to his deputy and the speaker that he was immediately resuming office in line with Section 190(1) of the Constitution.
”We are now back, and we give God all the glory. As of today, I’m back as governor of Ondo State. We thank God that I am alive and here. It’s your prayers that have kept us here. The office of the governor has resumed full work,” Akeredolu said while affirming that he would be alive to complete his tenure. Analysts said the emphasis by Akeredolu of ‘being alive’ was a reaction to speculations that had trailed his long stay abroad.
Aiyedatiwa’s Sins
There were speculations that the governor may no longer be fit to return to office. At other times, there were speculations that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria had passed on.
Indeed, members of the opposition parties, groups and associations had following the governor’s long absence called for his resignation to allow his deputy to continue as the substantive governor of the state.
In desperation, some supporters of the governor had at a time circulated Akeredolu’s pictures in a wheelchair in the foreign hospital where he was undergoing treatment as proof that he was still alive.
However, the speculation that the governor may not be able to return to complete his term was also linked to the jostling for the governorship ticket of the ruling APC for the 2024 elections.
The deputy governor who was said to be keenly interested in succeeding his boss had allegedly enticed some members of the cabinet to his side with position being shared.
The deputy governor allegedly promised some of the cabinet members’ juicy positions if they supported his ambition to become the successor to Akeredolu.
Some members of APC in the state had also accused the deputy governor of engineering the calls by the opposition party that the governor should resign from office to take care of his health because of his governorship ambition.
The Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy to Akeredolu, Doyin Odebowale, had in a statement linked the calls to those who were determined to see the governor out of office to achieve their ambitions.
According to Adebowale, “These ruthless politicians, ostensible representatives of the people without followers, believe that the best way to portray the current health challenge of the governor is by spreading falsehood against those perceived as impediments to their prebendal predilections. They are setting members of the Executive Council against one another, dropping dangerous but mendacious hints against their fellow appointees.
“They praise some as ‘honest’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘diligent’ while condemning others, perceived to being in the ‘opposing camp’, as ‘corrupt’ and ‘inordinately ambitious’. They hold constant meetings, speculating on the state of health of the governor. These elements attract negative sentiments to an administration which had enjoyed relative peace and overwhelming goodwill from the people up till now, based on impactful achievements.”
But the deputy governor had in a statement he personally signed dismissed the claim: “Let me aver without mincing words that rumour about the disruption of government activities are misplaced and only arose as a result of impatience and lack of proper understanding of the running of the machinery of government. In any case, such misrepresentations and apparently baseless allusions are to be expected when political gladiators by their activities in the build-up to party primaries and gubernatorial elections in any state try to heat the polity. Ondo State cannot definitely be an exception.”
He also assured that governance is on course in the state. Mr. Governor has laid a solid foundation for one administration in the state and there is, undoubtedly, no politically debilitating division in the government.”
However, one of the allegations against Aiyedatiwa was that there was little governance in the absence of Akeredolu while he was also accused of disloyalty to his boss.
The Impeachment Move
The precursor to the present fate of the deputy governor started some days after his boss returned to the country following a statement issued by a group pointedly accusing him of disloyalty to his boss. Aiyedatiwa had through his special media aide, issued a strong retort to the claim, declaring his absolute loyalty to Akeredolu. However, rather than applause from his boss, Akeredolu had ordered the sack of all media aides of his deputy. He ordered that the deputy governor should now use the Ministry of Information and Orientation for coverage of his activities.
The impeachment process against the deputy governor initiated over a week ago over an allegation of gross misconduct was believed to be another step in trying to cut him to size and take him out of the political equation for 2024.
The deputy governor got the Federal High Court to restrain the House of Assembly from proceeding with the move last Tuesday. Justice Emeka Nwite gave the interim order in a ruling shortly after Aiyedatiwa’s counsel, Kayode Adewusi, moved the ex-parte motion to the effect. The court also stopped Akeredolu from nominating a new deputy governor and forwarding the same to the lawmakers for approval pending the hearing and determination of the interlocutory application.
The embattled deputy governor had, in the ex-parte motion, sued the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS),. Akeredoku, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Judge of Ondo State and the House of Assembly.
His lawyer had told the court in the application that Aiyedatiwa had been prevented from meeting and accessing Akeredolu on urgent matters that would allow him to discharge his duty as deputy governor for the overall interest of the state.
In the same vein, he told the court that “Ondo State is on a standstill,” as officers of the police and DSS, acting under the instruction of Akeredolu, prevented Aiyedatiwa from seeing him, even to the extent of harassing the deputy governor from meeting the governor on pending urgent matters of the state.
“There has been an attempt to remove and replace him and as a law-abiding citizen, he comes before your lordship as his last hope. We pray your lordship to grant our application in the interest of justice,” the lawyer said.
He had also obtained another order from an Akure High Court to stop the House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment plans against him. Counsel to the deputy governor, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, listed the Ondo State Government, the Governor of Ondo State, Ondo State House of Assembly, the Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, the Clerk of Ondo State House of Assembly and Chief Judge of Ondo State as defendants in the suit.
However, despite the court order, the lawmakers had vowed to go ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Aiyedatiwa.
In a statement signed by the speaker, the House said it “will not abdicate or compromise its sacred constitutional duty to hold elected public officers accountable, particularly where there are prima facie serious allegations of corruption and abuse of power levelled against the deputy governor in this case. The lawmakers said the deputy governor was hasty to rush to court: “The Supreme Court has repeatedly restated that the court can only intervene when the procedures for impeachment have been breached. In this case, however, the deputy governor rushed to court even before the notice of impeachment was served on him. For the records, no procedures have been breached in any way. While backing the House of Assembly, a constitutional lawyer and analyst, Jiti Ogunye, faulted Aiyedatiwa for approaching the law court when his impeachment process had not been completed. Speaking on a television programme, the lawyer advised the deputy governor to submit himself and answer the allegations levelled against him and discontinue all moves to stop his impeachment process through an interim order.
Stop The Impeachment Now
However, analysts have said it would be difficult for the deputy governor to survive the onslaught by the lawmakers if he chooses to take Ogunye’s advice. Hence, stakeholders in the state are calling on the governor to halt the impeachment process.
In an open letter issued to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, entitled: “An Open Letter to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, in respect of the Ongoing Needless Charade Called Impeachment of the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Request for Leadership, Restraint, Caution and Focus in the Governance of Ondo State,” a lawyer, Donald Ayibiowu noted that while Akeredolu was away, the state was left near rudderless by a combination of factors ranging from debilitating politicking, rumour mongering, sycophancy, etc.
He, however, said if some of the power brokers within the state had scores to settle with Aiyedatiwa, they should not fiddle with the peace and integrity of the state.
“I believe he may have, or harbour gubernatorial ambition after your tenure but I will like to tell you that the deputy governor, as acting governor, if he was very desperate, could have sacked some of your appointees or could have radically altered the status quo in your absence. But he didn’t do any of these things, while not implying that he is a saint, no one is either,” he said. “So far, the public has not seen any cogent misconduct or clear-cut financial misappropriation or embezzlement attributable to the deputy governor to warrant this harassment,” Ayibiowu said while urging Akeredolu to call the impeachment actors to order and concentrate on delivering his campaign promises to the people. It is doubtful if the governor will accept this advice.
