Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, wrote to the State House of Assembly on Tuesday to advise them that he would be taking a 21-day medical leave.
The governor also informed the Assembly that he has delegated his duties to Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor, who will serve in that capacity while he is away.
Akeredolu, who is reportedly unwell, has stayed away from public appearances recently, and his assistants are handling the majority of his official tasks on his behalf.
While some other aides were occasionally tasked with filling in for the governor, it was the deputy governor who had been representing Akeredolu at numerous official and social events of the government.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, on Tuesday, confirmed the receipt of the governor’s letter for medical leave.
The Speaker said, “The governor has embarked on a 21-day leave for medical treatment abroad starting from June 7, 2023 to July 6, 2023.”
The deputy governor will serve as governor while the governor is away, according to the Speaker, and Akeredolu is scheduled to return to the state on July 6.
Oladiji wished the governor a swift recovery and a happy getaway while praising him as a supporter of the rule of law and a lover of peace.
Prior to this, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) demanded that the governor hand over control of the state to his deputy in order to administer it effectively. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also expressed concern over the governor’s whereabouts.
The SDP, in a statement by its chairman, Stephen Adewale, said while it continued to pray for Akeredolu’s recovery, “the state should not and cannot be left without a constitutional head in an acting capacity while he (Akeredolu) is away attending to his health.”
The SDP said it noted that President Bola Tinubu had, in the last one week, met twice with state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress while Akeredolu was neither present nor represented at the discussions.
“During each of those meetings, matters of national importance were discussed. Nearly all the governors were in attendance, and those who could not make it had their deputies fill in for them. The only state that was conspicuously missing, in terms of representation at the two meetings, is our dear Ondo State,” the SDP lamented.
Similarly, the PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei, said, “As mortals, any human being can fall sick, whether in public office or private life. Rotimi Akeredolu is employed by the people of Ondo State, maintained with taxpayers’ money, so, it is criminal and a great disservice to keep mum over his health status and his whereabouts.”
Reacting to Akeredolu’s letter to the Assembly, the PDP said it was the right thing.
“There is nothing extraordinary about transmitting power to the deputy governor if the governor is proceeding on medical vacation. It was the void created by Akeredolu’s handlers that gave room for the media speculations and anxiety.
“But with the letter to the state Assembly, the necessary information has been provided to the question of where is Akeredolu? We are of the point that right thing must always be done in government,” the statement read.