By: Ade Phillips
The Secretary to Ondo State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu has asked the State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to conduct a test “to know those who misrepresent facts about events at the meetings of the Council to avoid a situation whereby they would destroy his government.”
She also cautioned an online news platform, Sahara Reporters’ against allowing unscrupulous politicians to use it to unnecessarily heighten tension in the state ahead of the forthcoming elections.
In a statement titled “Divorce yourself from irresponsible journalism” Princess Odu expressed shock that a Media organization with several years of experience would allow itself to be used so cheaply to destroy the reputation of innocent members of the public.
“My attention has just been drawn to some irresponsible contents of a story by Sahara Reporters’ painting very gory pictures about happenings at the meeting of the Ondo State Executive Council which it is not a part of.
“Although I have heard several people say that the news platform is good at blackmailing innocent citizens so that it can stay relevant because people love sensational stories, I never knew it could descend so low”
The SSG who described as saddening the plot by Sahara Reporters’ and its financiers to fan the embers of crisis in a state from where its proprietor hails stressed that at no time did she have a shouting match with Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa over any matter.
The statement also described as disgusting the report that she threatened to throw Governor Ayedatiwa out of office with President Tinubu’s backing, describing such report as a deliberate attempt to give the President, and father of the nation a very bad impression of her.
“The report that I threatened to throw the Governor out of office because I have President Tinubu ‘s backing can only come from someone who has no knowledge about the way governance works. How do you throw out a Governor who has committed no obvious offense against the constitution. If Sahara Reporter’s knows of any constitutional infraction committed by the Governor to warrant him being thrown out, the online platform should say so but as for me I don’t know any”.
“As someone who understands Mr President’s respect for order, and who has enormous respect for the office and person of the President, i would never even think of bringing him into any matter that will be a mere distraction to him even if there is any, and in any case where is the power tussle that Sahara Reporters’ is talking about?”
“Honorable Lucky Ayedatiwa is the Governor, and that is not in dispute. Also I have enormous respect for the office of Governor and will always respect Governor Ayedatiwa who is my brother”
Princess Odu who assured that she would do her work diligently and responsibly till her last day in office, emphasized that Ondo state is bigger than anyone and she will not be a party to bringing the state down.
“Those who wish to cause crisis in the state should remember that posterity will judge them, and the spirit of the founding fathers of the state will stand against them”
Odu described as laughable the claim that she called the Governor an impostor, stressing that she is too educated to use words with no bearing to a conversation.
“Why would any right thinking person call Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa who was duly sworn in as Governor by the Chief Judge of the state an impostor? Again I say that if Sahara Reporters’ knows what qualifies Ayedatiwa as an impostor it is free to let it out but I am not an illiterate who will use words without knowing the meaning”
The SSG implored the Governor to conduct an integrity test on members of the State Executive Council to know those who misrepresent facts about events at the meetings of the Council to avoid a situation whereby they would destroy his government.
Leave a Reply