As citizens of Ondo State continue to pray fervently for the speedy resolution of the crisis rocking the state on account of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s long absence from office, President Bola Tinubu had one of his longest days in office, Friday, as he spent hours in the office meeting with stakeholders from the state.According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu chaired a protracted meeting at the State House, Abuja, trying to resolve the political crisis that is threatening to grind the state to a halt.
The meeting, according to Onanuga (on his X handle), began around 5p.m. after the President had held several other meetings. And at about 10p.m. when State House staffers had thought that he should have retired home, Tinubu was reported to have started another round of talks with the Ondo stakeholders.
As at the time of filing this report, The Crest cannot verify how the meeting ended as well as the resolutions reached.
The Crest recalls that the state has been a hotbed of political uncertainty in the past months as Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, had been away in Germany undergoing medical treatment for leukemia. And when he returned to the country in the first week of September after a three-month medical leave, he headed to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and not Akure, the capital and seat of the Government of Ondo State.
But recently, there has been a groundswell of opposition to the Governor’s continued stay in Ibadan, with some asking him to transfer power to his deputy, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
In his absence too, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa hasn’t been quite lucky as he is facing an impeachment process initiated by Ondo lawmakers over allegations of gross misconduct.
The meeting at the Presidential Villa was sequel to pleas from Ondo State Elders and Leaders of Thought, urging President Tinubu to urgently intervene in the constitutional crisis in the state and avert the looming breakdown of law and order.
They had also called on the state and national leaderships of the governing party, the All Progressives Congress,APC, to provide the required guide to those in government and ensure discipline in their camp.
President Tinubu had earlier ordered the police to withdraw from the premises of the Ondo State Assembly in Akure which they had occupied.
Those in attendance included Senators in the 10th Senate/House of Representatives Members, including the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
