HAKEEM GBADAMOSI writes on the travails of the Ondo Deputy Governor, Honourable Lucky Aiyedatiwa, following the impeachment process initiated against him by the state House of Assembly, and the politics surrounding the 2024 governorship contest in the state.
INITIALLY, the cold war between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was within the realm of speculations. It was largely discussed in hushed tones in many political circles. However, last Wednesday, the faceoff became full blown. This followed the procedural move to remove the deputy governor from office over allegations of gross misconduct. The action heralded the second phase of what many perceive as the battle for a preferred choice as candidate for the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as possible successor to Akeredolu at the end of his two terms as governor in 2014.
From last week, the crisis has taken another forms. One, the state House of Assembly claimed it has succeeded in serving the deputy governor the notice of impeachment to remove him from office. His camp was initially accused of evading the mandate given to the Clerk of the Assembly to serve the notice. But the Assembly on Monday confirmed that the assignment had been carried out through substituted service, whereas the camp of the deputy governor had said he had not been served such notice. The battle has since reached a climax, following the decision of the deputy governor to stop the Assembly from going ahead with the plan to remove him from office. Acting through his counsel, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa (SAN), he has challenged the Assembly on many grounds anchored on a number of provisions in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act 22 to stop the planned removal. Two of such grounds are that he and the governor were elected on the same ticket of the APC and that the move was a violation of his rights and the constitution. A preponderance of stakeholders in the state are increasingly becoming apprehensive about the dimensions the crisis has continued to assume. Prominent individuals, among them, a former General secretary of Afenifere, Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa called for the immediate intervention of other leaders because of the negative implications of the impasse.
The strained relationship between them fully came to the fore after the return of Akeredolu from his overseas medical vacation. Some observers claimed that it was almost a playback of what happened not in the distant past between the governor and his former deputy, Agboola Ajayi. The plan to remove him from office ended in a stalemate, despite his dumping of APC for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Most observers are divided on the possibility of a similar scenario playing out this time due to certain dynamics.
Legal jigsaw
Aiyedatiwa has approached the State High Court, praying the court to stop the Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment proceedings against him pending the hearing and determination of the suit he filed before the court. In Originating Summons filed by his legal representative, Adegboruwa (SAN) listed as defendants; the state government, the governor of the state, the state Assembly, the Speaker, Clerk of the Assembly and the Chief Judge of the state. His demands include a declaration that the House of Assembly is not competent to proceed on his impeachment in breach of his constitutional and fundamental rights to fair hearing as his office, tenure and status as the deputy governor of the state are creations and establishment of the Constitution by virtue of Sections 186 and 187 of the Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and the same cannot be tampered with, altered, shortened, withdrawn or jeopardized by the Defendants except and in a manner permitted by law. He asked the court to declare that as the deputy governor of the state, his office, tenure, status, rights and privileges are protected, secured, guaranteed, governed and regulated under and by the relevant provisions such as sections, 188, 189, 190 and 191 of the Constitution and they are to be enjoyed without let or hindrance from the defendants except and in a manner permitted by law. He further asked for a declaration that as the deputy governor of the state, he is entitled to the rights and privileges attached to his office, including but not limited to his media aides and other aides attached to his office and that in the determination of his civil rights and obligations as the deputy governor of the state, he is entitled to fair hearing from the defendants who are not entitled to take any step or decision in violation of his right to fair hearing. Also, he asked for a declaration that the dismissal of all the media aides and press crew attached to his office as the deputy governor of the state by the governor and state government without prior notice, is unreasonable, vindictive, malicious, unconstitutional, illegal and null and void. That the defendants are not entitled to arbitrarily, forcefully, illegally, unduly or in any other manner whatsoever interfere with, encroach upon and/or infringe on his constitutional rights and functions as the deputy governor of the state without due process of law as contained in the relevant provisions of the Constitution. He wants a declaration that as a democratically elected Deputy Governor of Ondo State in a joint ticket with the governor, State, he is entitled to remain in office as such, freely exercise his rights and discharge his constitutional duties as deputy Governor within the full time allocated to the office by the Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and the defendants are not entitled to take any steps in pursuit of his removal from office as the deputy governor of the state in flagrant violation of his constitutional and fundamental rights; a declaration that the defendants are not entitled to constitute themselves into investigators, prosecutors and judge over trumped up allegations against him in relation to his office, tenure and status as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State and the Chief Judge of the state is not entitled to receive, act upon and or consider any request from the defendants for the purpose of constituting a panel to investigate any purported allegation or his removal from office as deputy governor in violation of his constitutional and fundamental rights; an injunction restraining the defendants and their agents or representatives from interfering with, restricting, disempowering or preventing him from discharging his constitutional duties and functions as the duly elected Deputy Governor in a joint and equal ticket with the state; an order forthwith reinstating/restoring the full and total rights and privileges attached or accruing to his office as duly elected which include, but is not limited to the restoration of all media aides and press crew attached to the office of the claimant as Deputy Governor and an order setting aside any purported process or notice of any allegation of Gross Misconduct against him on the ground that such process or notice is a violation of Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and any such orders as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
Hide and seek
In the recent past, speculations were rife that things had indeed fallen apart between the duo but Ayedatiwa kept expressing his loyalty to Governor Akeredolu. Things went sour between the governor and Aiyedatiwa, who some APC faithful claimed, was brought to political limelight by Akeredolu during the last governorship election. The romance between them hit the rock after the governor left for Germany to attend to his health.
The camp of the deputy governor was alleged to have disagreed over his boss’ failure to properly transmit power to him on time. Then, there were insinuations that the governor was incapacitated and should that he allow his deputy to fully take over power, this insinuation was denied by the deputy governor who took charge after the governor wrote to the state Assembly asking his deputy to act until he returned to the country.
However, the sour relationship led to claims and counter-claims about the status of the State Executive Council (SEC). It was alleged that the council was polarised immediately after Ayedatiwa took over, while politics apparently overshadowed governance. He was alleged to have secured the loyalty of some members of the executive.
Meanwhile, those nursing the ambition of taking over from Akeredolu after his tenure were irked by the emerging scenario: that Ayedatiwa was allegedly trying to take advantage ahead of the 2024 governorship race, by being in charge of the state affairs.They also sprung into action to announce their ambition and governance was at a standstill, causing division in the state Executive Council, and within the APC, while Akeredolu was receiving daily security briefing of the happenings in the state and those playing politics with his health to take over power.
This led to some accusations, claims and counterclaims from various quarters as it was rumoured that Aiyedatiwa may have surreptitiously encouraged opposition political parties in the state, to demand for Akeredolu resignation because of his ill health and absence from work, saying he had left the seat for too long a period.
However, Aiyedatiwa distanced himself from the allegation(s), describing it as a booby trap by his detractors to set him and his principal against one another. He said “detractors have since come up with fabricated lies aimed at denting my reputation since the governor’s return. I have avoided their booby traps and they tripped on their own banana peels”
He, however, denied all allegation(s) against him and maintained that he remained loyal to his Principal, accusing some cabals within the Akeredolu’s led government of trying to put a wedge between him and the governor to cause strain in their relationship, saying “I remain loyal to my Principal and no amount of fabricated lies will change that”.
Akeredolu hardly settled down from his medical trip when the rumor of the embattled deputy governor’s resignation spread across the state but Ayedatiwa was quick to deny the news of the purported pre-signed resignation letter said to be circulating in the public domain.
According to him, “I wish to state that I, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State have not, do not intend and will not sign/author any letter resigning my position as the duly elected Deputy Governor in a joint ticket with my principal the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu. I took an oath the day I was sworn in along with Mr Governor on February 24th, 2021 to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a four (4) year mandate which terminates on February 23rd, 2025. I remain loyal to my Principal and I stand by the oath I took with the Bible to run the full cycle of the four year tenure with Mr Governor”
The dust raised over Aiyedatiwa’s purported pre-signed resignation letter hardly settled when the hammer fell on the media team of the deputy governor. Akeredolu relieved them of their duties. Observers did not see the sack of the media aides as surprise, following alleged frequent display of disloyalty to the governor by allegedly sending some anti-governor’s posts on the social media, which were screenshot and forwarded to Akeredolu in Germany by one of his friends outside government.
The sack of these media aides was said to have sent jitters into the spine of some senior aides and state Executive members who were fingered to have polarised the government, by pitching their tent with Ayedatiwa in Akeredolu’s absence while political analysts predicted their imminent exit from Akeredolu’s government soon.
Assembly move
In the turn of event, last Wednesday, nine members of the state Assembly, presented before the House, during an emergency plenary a session, a petition against the deputy governor, accusing him of gross misconduct while he held sway as acting governor for the short period of three months. The lawmakers wasted no time in directing the Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jaiyola, to convey the petition to Ayedatiwa after it was read at floor of the House. Nigerian Tribune gathered that 22 of the 26 lawmakers signed the impeachment notice against the deputy governor, while two members of the PDP and one member of the APC from the deputy governor’s council area, Ese-Odo declined to sign the notice.
It was alleged that Aiyedatiwa while acting as governor of the state, reportedly approved N300 million for the purchase of a bulletproof SUV for his personal use. He was alleged to have ordered the N300 million to be sourced from the Palliative fund, which was from the Federal government to state in order to cushion the effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy. Speaking on behalf of the Assembly, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Honourable Olatunji Oshati, in a statement signed by him, clarified that the allegations against Aiyedatiwa does not equate to impeachment verdict, as the deputy governor has room to defend the allegation.
Oshati statement read: ”We find it necessary to address some misconceptions regarding⁰⁰ the allegations letter served on the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Honourable Lucky Aiyedatiwa. It is crucial that our people understand that an allegation letter does not equate to an impeachment verdict. Indeed, the allegation letter served to the deputy governor marks the initiation of the impeachment proceedings.
However, it’s essential to remember that this is a procedure rooted in due process, not a hastily conducted impeachment. We are conscious of the integrity of our present Assembly and will not falter in our constitutional responsibilities to our constituents. We wish to declare, unequivocally, that the entire process remains within the realm of allegations. We are committed to examining these allegations objectively.
“Our primary responsibility is to uphold the integrity of our beloved state and foster accountability and transparency, even at the highest level of government. Consequently, we urge our constituents to refrain from making premature judgment.
Neither the Deputy Governor nor the Governor are immune to legislative actions. The allegation letter has been served, and Mr. Deputy Governor has the full right to defend himself. Rest assured, we are committed to following due process and will do so diligently”
In a swift response from the deputy governor’s camp, a close aide of Aiyedatiwa, absolved the embattled deputy governor of any wrong doing, but described the allegation as a fabricated lie to smear the image of the Deputy governor.
The aide while speaking in confidence said that, “there was no such SUV in existence and at no time did the Deputy governor or anyone for that matter purchase any armoured SUV for the use of his office.
“The Acting governor did not purchase any vehicle at anytime. As at today, there is no official armoured vehicle in his convoy.
In fact, the armoured Mercedes Benz SUV he uses as official car is his personal vehicle which he has been using since he became deputy governor. Every item in government procurement has a budget head and, therefore, it is not possible to bypass the budget and use palliatives money for the purchase of government vehicles.
“The mention of palliatives in the false media reports is an attempt to turn the good people of Ondo State against the Deputy Governor in order to attract public support for the illegality being planned against him. The people of Ondo Stage are more intelligent than to fall for such cheap lies”.
A source closer to Ayedatiwa, however, said the Deputy governor has travelled out to Abuja and may stop the impeachment process in a court of law. But a group, Ondo Professionals For Good Governance Initiatives (OPGGI) advised Aiyedatiwa to address the petition against him rather than heading to court to stop his impeachment process.
Its chairman, Pastor Adeyemi Kayode encouraged Ayedatiwa to allow the democratic processes to run its course, noting that the lawmakers’ actions are under public scrutiny.
The group statement read: “We have credible information that the Deputy Governor is seeking legal intervention to halt his impeachment process. As vigilant observers, we urge the Deputy Governor to refrain from such an action.
Although we suspect that his impeachment may be controversial, we are equally interested in the allegations the lawmakers have raised against him.
Contrary to other states where impeachment proceedings are conducted in secrecy and unconstitutionally, we have faith in the House of Assembly’s decision to adhere to due process in this impeachment. This will only bolster our democratic process and establish a beneficial precedent. “We fervently hope that Mr. Aiyedatiwa will choose the path of integrity, exemplifying the spirit of a true Ondo son by submitting to investigation and allowing the world’s greatest court, the court of public opinion, to objectively assess the situation.
As stakeholders, we are dedicated to ensuring no one is unjustly persecuted. We acknowledge that the Deputy governor is yet to be impeached and has only been served an allegation letter. We urge him to present his defence and reveal to the world the truth behind this drama.”
The group appealed to the House of Assembly to serve as an impartial arbitrator, to ensure the preservation of the state’s and the people’s interests during the impeachment proceedings.
Political pundits, however, attributed the gulf between the governor and his deputy to the 2024 governorship election, while the bone of contention remains the ambition of Ayedatiwa to succeed his boss. They said the Deputy governor was too much in a hurry to take over power from Akeredolu despite the open display of favouritism and preferential treatment by the governor at the expense of others eyeing the seat.
In his own intervention Afenifere chieftain, Arogbofa warned: “Our fear is that the present gathering political storm between the governor and his deputy arising from alleged disloyalty, if not checked or properly handled, will lead to very bad blood, developmental set back, disruptive tendencies within the polity, and, in turn, have their unhealthy backlash on the civil service and the welfare of the common man. We don’t want this to happen. Indeed, the fragile economic and security situations in the country demand that it is better for the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary in Ondo State to come nearer together and see how they can make the life of the people better. In this regard, the legislature that represents the people has a major role to play in the development and stabilization of the State and the polity. The issue on ground needs a careful handling so as not to lead to any major crisis. Therefore, our Honourable members should remember they have their names to protect in whatever they do. They should be mindful of the verdict of history. We therefore call on them for fair play and justice to arrest the gathering storm.”
According to the pundits, Akeredolu’s vacation provided the opportunity for politicians and a number of his cabinet members who are never at home with Akeredolu’s preference of Ayedatiwa to throw their hats in the ring to rattle the deputy.
Again, there are permutations on the possible choice of a replacement in the event of the plot to remove the current deputy governor pulls through. Some persons and groups are already touting names based on the calculations ahead of the governorship poll in 2014. But most of the permutations appear to favour the Ondo South senatorial district where Ayedatiwa does not look good to survive the impeachment moves, saying it is certain that Aiyedatiwa hails from.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then