A report by Sahara Reporters says Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s son, Babajide Akeredolu, has sought the assistance of President Bola Tinubu to get an air ambulance to return his ailing father to Germany where he had been receiving treatment.
The Ondo governor is receiving treatment for leukemia and has been undergoing chemotherapy in Nigeria, which SaharaReporters learnt had been knocking him out for up to 10 hours after every medication.
Family sources told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that Akeredolu’s condition has worsened.
“He is no longer able to speak,” one of the sources hinted.
According to sources, this prompted his son, Babajide, to ask for the President’s help to speedily fly his ailing father to Germany.
“Akeredolu’s son is seeking permission and help from Tinubu to get an air ambulance to return his father to Germany,” one of the sources said.
SaharaReporters earlier today (Tuesday) reported that President Tinubu directed Governor Akeredolu to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim.
Akeredolu’s son, Babajide, who 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), was also in attendance.
SaharaReporters further reported that the transfer of power would be done by electronic signature (e-signature) as the ailing governor is 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.
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 at the meeting 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 had 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.
Credit: Sahara Reporters
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