- Says Governor “is very much alive”
By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State Government on Saturday described the reported ill health of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as “unfounded rumors and disinformation”.
Besides, it declared that the governor is “very much alive.”
The government responded through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Richard Olatunde.
Ademola-Olateju said that contrary to the speculations, the Governor has been attending to state matters and delegating functions to government functionaries as usual.
She said that the government discovered that certain persons sought to draw political mileage from the alleged disinformation.
According to the commissioner: “We have been inundated with calls and messages concerning the state of health of the Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON.
“We had chosen to ignore this wicked fabrication until it appeared that certain persons seek to draw political mileage from the disinformation.
“We enjoin the members of the public to ignore the rumor. Aketi is very much alive.”
Also responding, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Richard Olatunde in a post on his Facebook wall at about 4.44 pm on Saturday said: “It is not in our character and practice to respond to unfounded rumors and disinformation”.
The post read in full: “It is not in our character and practice to respond to unfounded rumors and disinformation.
Here is Mr. Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, enjoying the Manchester United match with his friends.
“If you are a Man U fan, gather here ”
He did not elaborate.
Accompanying the post was a 12-second video clip showing Akeredolu, drinking water from a plastic container, and sitting on the second row of some football lovers watching a football match.
In the video, there were two rows of a football audience of five persons.
The first row had two persons, one of who was drinking water and working on his two telephone handsets, and watching a football match.
Akeredolu, dressed in a dark brown tee shirt over tracksuit trousers, reclining on an armchair, his head resting on a pillow, sat in the middle of the three men in the second row. He was drinking water from a plastic container as he watched the match.
The man to his right was busy with his telephone handset as he was watching the match; while the man sitting to the governor’s left was holding a plastic water container in his left hand as he watched the match.
There have been speculations spreading in the state about the governor’s whereabouts, which were fuelled by recent reports by Sahara Reporters about the governor’s alleged ill health.
Also in a story titled “Where is Akeredolu? – Ondo PDP asks” as reported on Saturday by The Radiance, the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, asked the managers of the state government’s information machinery to disclose the whereabouts of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
According to the story: “It believes that the disclosure would douse the speculations flying about and spare the people unnecessary anxiety over the governor’s well-being.
“In a statement on Saturday by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the party regretted that the deafening silence from government information machinery about the true situation around the state’s number one citizen had provided fertile soil for wild speculations, which has almost put the state on edge.
“Titled “Theater of the absurd: Akeredolu’s whereabouts should not be a secret”, it said: “The handlers and managers of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, Governor of Ondo State, have once again proved that, they are not on top of their assignments. They will rather take everybody in the state for granted.
“Since Sahara Reporters reported that the governor is bedridden and incapacitated, Akeredolu’s handlers responded by fueling public anxiety and suspicion, instead of telling the State, where exactly he is, or getting him to address Ondo State, from wherever he is on planet Earth.
“When Akeredolu did not return to his duty post after his celebrated annual leave in March this year, tongues started wagging. At the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, Akeredolu was conspicuously absent.
“The deafening silence from government information machinery suddenly saturated social media space with old videos of Akeredolu dancing and singing praises.
“On the eve of the inauguration of the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly, there were reports of an ‘Owo cabal’ led by Akeredolu’s heir apparent, Babajide mobilising Members-elect to make a legislator from Owo Speaker, as a fallback position to retain the leadership of the state in Owo, in the event of the worst happening, after impeaching the incumbent Deputy Governor.
“These speculations almost put the state on edge until this morning when the Ondo State House of Assembly retained the present power structure of Speakership of the Assembly in Ondo Central Senatorial District.
“If Akeredolu’s handlers had done the needful, the state would have been spared the unnecessary anxiety.
“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 and maintained with taxpayers’ money. So, it is criminal and a great disservice to keep mum over his health status and his whereabouts.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State Chapter, demands that those hiding the governor should tell the people where he is to save the state from speculation.
“In 2010, when then-President Umar Yar’Adua was incapacitated due to ill health, Akeredolu was one of the most vociferous voices, calling for his resignation and allowing the then Vice-President to take over.
“If for whatever reason, Akeredolu can no longer discharge his official responsibilities, the most reasonable thing to do is to hand over to the Deputy Governor as required by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Our party joins millions of Ondo State people to pray for Akeredolu’s quick recovery, but nobody should play politics with his ill health. Nobody should ground the state beyond its present state. Let Akeredolu resign if he is no longer fit to be governor.”
Also, earlier, in a statement by its State Chairman, Mr. Stephen Adewale, the state’s chapter of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, had reportedly raised a similar concern.
While describing the silence from the Governor’s camp and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State concerning the governor’s whereabouts as alarming, the party said that his medical records needed not to be shrouded in secrecy.
As reported by Vanguard in a story titled “Ondo SDP raises concern over Akeredolu’s health conditions”, Adewale said in the statement that “In the past 24 hours, the rumour of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s poor health has dominated the media and spread like wildfire in Ondo State.
“While it is no longer news that Governor Akeredolu is dealing with health issues as this was made clear in the viral voice note that was released by Ondo State First Lady, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, in recent weeks, the governor’s rumoured battle with blood cancer, his bedridden condition, and his inability to sign documents have taken centre stage.
“While the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State had enthusiastically and eagerly anticipated that the Governor would refute such rumours by presenting himself to the public, the silence from the Governor’s camp and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State is concerning and alarming.
“To us at Ondo SDP, therefore, their silence and failure to deny or confirm the information imply consent.
“There are now serious doubts about Governor Akeredolu’s capacity to continue to govern the Sunshine State as his medical conditions remain shrouded in secrecy.
“It is quite disturbing that the state of the governor’s health has become a topic of state curiosity and concern.
” This situation continues to undermine the ability of the State government to fulfill its obligations and commitments, including those requiring the government to provide economic pathways to millions of people facing absolute poverty and uncertainty in the Sunshine State due to the reckless and insensitive removal of subsidy by the APC-led federal government.
“Ondo SDP calls on Arakunrin to respect the good people of Ondo State who have voted for him twice by presenting his medical records to the general public.
“We strongly believe that the good people of Ondo State have the right to know about the medical conditions of Arakunrin Akeredolu.
“In contrast to ordinary residents who have the right to keep their health state to themselves, high-level elected officials like Arakunrin, whose treatment is being paid for by the public, cannot hide behind personal rules.
“Similarly, because Governor Akeredolu’s position is that of a trustee, he is required, as the governor of Ondo State, to inform the residents of Ondo State accurately about his present medical conditions.
“Ensuring full access to his medical data would also assist and prevent instances and situations where the governor’s health is the daily subject of speculative interpretations, embarrassing commentary, and incomplete, vague, and erroneous reports.
” Ironically, Ondo SDP recalled that Arakunrin Akeredolu was one of the primary figures who actively and vocally criticised and called for late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s resignation when the latter suffered poor health condition in 2009.
” Now, Arakunrin Akeredolu has done the exact opposite by clinging to power and hiding the true state of his health from people as he battles with ill health.
Adewale added that “While we pray for the speedy recovery of Mr. Governor, it is high time he did the needful.”
