By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State Government has described as wicked, mischievous, and insensitive a report credited to the national chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Abdullahi Adamu, on the health status of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Adamu reportedly said at a meeting between the party’s national leadership and state chairmen in Abuja on Monday that the governor was incapacitated and hospitalised abroad.
But responding, the state government through the Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, said in a statement in Akure, the state capital, that Adamu was quoted out of context.
According to the statement: “At no time did the Chairman mention that the Governor was in a state of “extreme incapacity”.
It said: “The attention of Ondo State Government has been drawn to a report, credited to the Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on the 11th of July, 2023.
“The headline, “Akeredolu in state of extreme incapacity, hospitalised”, bore a tinge of the usual mischievous, wicked, and insensitive reportage, sponsored by desperate politicians.
“The Chairman of the APC in Ondo State, Engineer Ade Adetimehin, who attended the meeting, has debunked the report as untrue and totally disconnected from the statement of the Chairman at the event.
“The National Chairman was indeed excited at the reports on the rate of recovery of the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, and urged all those present at the meeting to pray for his quick return.
“It, therefore, smacks of mischief and unabashed abandonment of professional ethics for a reporter to present this gross misrepresentation, a mischievous twist, as news.
“At no time did the Chairman mention that the Governor was in a state of “extreme incapacity”.
“He is, evidently, not in any critical state that should warrant this clearly reprehensible conduct as he still sent a post to the Executive Council Committee platform yesterday.
“Members of the public are advised to ignore this news as the contents therein exist in the realm of the imagination of workers of iniquity.”
The state government declared that “Mr. Governor is NOT incapacitated. He will return to his duty as soon as the doctors certify him fully fit to do so.”
Akeredolu, on Monday in a letter to the state assembly, said he is in high spirits and eager to return. Its receipt was confirmed by the Speaker, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, who said the governor’s action was in line with section 190 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Earlier in a letter, dated 5th June 2023, he had informed the Assembly that he was proceeding on medical leave and was expected to resume on 6th July 2023.
The governor wrote on Monday:
“My Dear People of Ondo State,
I pen this message with a heart overflowing with immense gratitude and deep appreciation. Your dedication, understanding, ceaseless prayers, and messages of goodwill during my journey to recovery have been nothing short of a soothing balm for my soul.
Your unwavering support and genuine affection have sustained my determination to renewed vigor and, most importantly, to continue serving you, the good people of Ondo State.
I am profoundly grateful to our esteemed President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and his team, as well as all political party leaders, my brother Governors, the State Executive Council, and the members of the State House of Assembly for their unwavering support.
Your collective strength and solidarity have uplifted my spirit and reaffirmed my commitment to our shared vision for progress and development.
While I remain on the path to recovery, I eagerly await the moment when I will stand among you once again. Rest assured, I am in high spirits and have full faith in the expertise of my doctors. I will return to you ALL as soon as they deem it expedient.
My dear people, once again, your prayers, support, and the rejuvenating elixir of goodwill you have bestowed upon me have fortified my resolve. I am resolute in my dedication to serving you and working tirelessly for the betterment of our beloved Ondo State.
Thank you from the depths of my heart.
Sincerely yours,
Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, CON
Governor of Ondo State”
