The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has asked his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to defend himself against allegation of malfeasance levelled against him by the State House of Assembly.
The governor said this in response to the apology issued to him by the deputy governor, reports Channels TV.
Akeredolu’s response was signed by Doyin Adebowale, his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy.
The governor said he does not meddle in the affairs of the State House of Assembly.
The embattled deputy governor earlier apologised to Akeredolu over the recent political crisis in the state.
At a media briefing in Akure, the state capital, Aiyedatiwa expressed regrets that negative reports that had trailed the crisis must have caused embarrassment to the governor in the last few months.
Pledging his loyalty to the governor and commitment to the development of Ondo State, the deputy governor detached himself from any protest and calls for the governor to resign over his health crisis.
However, in his reaction, the governor said he “may not be averse to embracing, cautiously, any seeming overtures impelled by genuine contriteness, making the following clarifications become pertinent”.
“The Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, does not meddle in the affairs of the House of Assembly of Ondo State, as subtly suggested at the press conference. There has never been any time when the Governor “persuaded” the “distinguished members of Ondo State House of Assembly to embrace the political solution offered” by the All Progressives Congress (APC), “in the face of an impeachment move against” the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“The best respect that all elected and appointed officials of the government can display to the people should find expression in the unconditional reverence for the institution which represents them.
“The Deputy Governor referred to the allegations of malfeasance levelled against him by the House of Assembly as ‘all sorts of lies against my person in the media’. It is only decent that we advise him to take this defence to the same House of Assembly which came up with 14 allegations of gross misconduct against him.
“This is the only course of honour at this moment.”
