Sources in the House of Assembly told SaharaReporters on Tuesday afternoon that they had been waiting for Akeredolu’s son, Babajide, for hours.
Ondo House of Assembly members have been waiting for a handover letter from ailing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for hours while his son, expected to deliver the letter has disappeared.
Sources in the House of Assembly told SaharaReporters on Tuesday afternoon that they had been waiting for Akeredolu’s son, Babajide, for hours.
According to them, the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, Office of the Governor of Ondo State (PPIMU), has simply disappeared as he could not be reached on his mobile phones.
Babajide was appointed by the governor (father) in November 2021 as the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, Office of the Governor of Ondo State (PPIMU), sparking controversy.
“We have been waiting for hours for Akeredolu’s handover letter, which his son promised to deliver to the House of Assembly today. We have been waiting in vain for the handover letter.
“The plenary was told to wait for the governor’s son who told the Speaker of the House that he was flying to Lagos from Abuja to obtain his father’s e-signature but he has since switched off his phones,” one of the sources said.
Akeredolu will proceed on another medical leave on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, as a follow-up to his treatment for leukemia.
A statement signed by Richard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor on Tuesday said that during his medical leave, Akeredolu will prioritise his health and ensure a full recovery before resuming his official duties.
The statement added that a formal letter regarding the medical leave and a notice formally transferring power in line with the Nigerian Constitution will be transmitted to the House of Assembly.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu on Monday directed Akeredolu to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The exclusive report, however, noted that the transfer of power would be done by electronic signature (e-signature) as the ailing governor was too weak to sign any letter or document.
Tinubu reportedly told people at the meeting he had summoned to resolve the leadership crisis in Ondo on Monday that Akeredolu was incapacitated and could not sign a letter anymore.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that President Tinubu had summoned the state deputy governor, Aiyedatiwa and House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji to Aso Villa in Abuja for an urgent meeting slated for Monday.
Monday’s emergency meeting was the second one summoned by the President to resolve the leadership crisis in the state following the governor’s absence from office since July 2023.
The meeting at the instance of Tinubu was due to mounting pressure from the civil society organisation Take-It-Back, which had threatened to commence mass protests across Ondo State from Saturday, December 16 to demand Akeredolu’s resignation.
The ailing governor has gone AWOL since returning to Nigeria in September from a three-month medical leave in Germany.
Sources told SaharaReporters that it was first agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity to make Aiyedatiwa the acting governor, but some of those present pleaded with President Tinubu that it would humiliate the ailing governor.
“During the meeting, it was agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity and make Lucky Ayedatiwa the Acting Governor, but the Speaker and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim pleaded that the ailing governor would be humiliated,” one of the sources said.
“The son (Babajide) then promised to go and obtain his father’s e-signature to pen a letter to the State House of Assembly, transferring power to the deputy governor.”
Sources at the meeting also disclosed that someone raised concern that since there was already a case of forgery established in handling the affairs of the state, it would not make sense for power to be transferred through such dubious means.