By Ken Afor
In order to stop incipient bloodshed in Ondo State due to the political face-off between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a traditional priest, Olupelumi Fagboyegun, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to step in and resolve the conflict.
The ongoing crisis in the state should not be allowed to spiral out of control and endanger the nation’s democracy, he further cautioned the federal government.
The Owo-born leader of the Isense Life Ministry, Diaspora, demanded that Governor Akerodolu warn his team against dividing the state along ethnic lines for political purposes while speaking to journalists in Osogbo on Tuesday on behalf of the Ondo masses.
If both camps refuse to resolve the escalating crisis diplomatically, the traditionalist based in the United Kingdom urged the President to take into account imposing a State of Emergency in the state to prevent bloodshed.
He argued that in order to prevent the scenario of 1966 and 1982 from happening again, the people of Ondo State must address the current crisis immediately.
His words: “In order not to jeopardise this hard-earned democracy, all impeachment proceedings against the duly elected Deputy Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyeditiwa should stop. We the people of Ondo state elected him, together with the incumbent governor
“And should there be any case to answer by the Deputy Governor, and impeachment proceedings are required by law, all members of the Ondo State House of Assembly must recuse themselves from the proceedings because they have all corruptly received the gift of vehicles and cash amount from the governor’s team on his return from his (Gov. Akeredolu) medical tourism
“The governor should address us (His People), to distance himself from all the barrage of insult hauled at the people of Ilaje in the spirit of togetherness.
“If the above failed so materialise, then His Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should immediately declare a State of Emergency in Ondo State before the situation degenerates into bloodshed that could lead to truncation of this fourth Republic by faceless military bandits.”
This trails unrelenting efforts the Ondo State House of Assembly to remove the deputy governor from office despite a court order to halt the impeachment proceedings.
The state parliament had instructed Justice Olusegun Odusola, the chief judge of Ondo State, on Tuesday, to convene a 7-man panel right away to look into the allegations made against the deputy governor.
It should be recalled that the House of Assembly indicted the deputy governor for allegedly authorizing the payment of N300 million for the purchase of an amoured SUV for personal use while acting in place of his principal, Governor Akeredolu, who was receiving medical treatment in Germany.
