Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional and activist lawyer, has warned politicians in Ondo to stop heating the polity in the absence of ailing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who is currently outside the state attending to his health.
Mr Ajulo frowned at how appointees in the kitchen cabinet of Mr Akeredolu had been frustrating his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who had been in “acting capacity” since the former had been on sick bed.
“You cannot love the people of Ondo state and be engaging in political computations liable to disrupt the peace of the state. It is embarrassing to hear the excessive opposition the Acting Governor is confronting, especially from those who are supposed to be his guides,” he said on Monday while reacting to political bickering among the cabinet members of the governor.
Warning the cabinet members of Mr Akeredolu to be conscious of their actions, Mr Ajulo said the politicians among them should not set Ondo on fire with their desperate ambition to take over from the governor.
He added that those working against the acting governor should understand they are indirectly working against the interests of Mr Akeredolu and the good people of the state.
“You cannot be a loyalist of the government and be working against who the Governor appointed by the provision of the constitution to be in the helms of affairs in his absence because the Acting Governor’s success is the Governor’s success and vice verse.
“The acting governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, also needs the support and prayers of the people of Ondo State, particularly now, against needless political opposition he is contending with for standing in the gap in the absence of the Governor,” he added.
According to him, “We are giving them seven days ultimatum to voluntarily resign their appointments or have their names published with proof in the dailies.
“They must desist from their acts or resign instead of working against the success of the government from within because the peace and development of Ondo State are more paramount than their inordinate ambition.”
Since being incapacitated, members of Mr Akeredolu’s cabinet have been split into factions, using his ill health to cause tension in the state.
The divisions within the cabinet have made some members of the State Executive Council take sides with the deputy, Mr Aiyedatiwa. In contrast, others remain hopeful that the governor will soon be back on his feet and recover from his ailment.
