A leading chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Dipo Okeyomi, has sued for peace in the palpable feud between the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and his deputy, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, describing it as needless.
Akeredolu who recently returned from medical vacation in Germany, having been away for three months, on Tuesday sacked all the media aides to Aiyedatiwa, thus signalling a frosty relationship between the two of them.
But reacting, Okeyomi, popularly known as Carry Go, said in a statement issued in Lagos that “some strange forces must have interfered in the smooth relationship between Governor Akeredolu and Deputy Governor Aiyedatiwa, apparently in pursuit of personal interest ahead of next year’s governorship election in which the governor will not be a contestant”.
“Everybody knows that Aiyedatiwa is a likely contestant in next year’s governorship election and some persons within the governor ‘s cabinet are also interested in becoming governor, and as such, see Aiyedatiwa as a threat,” Okeyomi appraised.
He described the deputy governor who acted in the absence of his boss for three months as completely loyal, and as such, does not deserve to be reviled or vilified over mere hearsays, insisting that Akeredolu should have invited him to a closet and have close discussions with him.
“It was easy for people afraid of the rising profile of the deputy governor to simply go and cook up stories against him before his boss,” he stressed.
Okeyomi advised Governor Akeredolu to do some deep introspection and “let go, let God” in the raging animosity designed to hoodwink Aiyedatiwa and frustrate any political ambition he me be nursing.
He similarly cautioned on any impeachment move against the deputygovernor, warning that such backfired in the attempt to use the nineth Speaker of the House of Assembly against the then deputy governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi, and the attempt met with brickwalls.
“Akeredolu is like a father to Aiyedatiwa and he should see the whole political problem as sheer antics from some of his political children against one of them,” he further appealed.
The politician similarly urged the governor to pardon the sacked deputy governor’s media aides and reinstate them, noting that it is awkward and harsh to sacrifice their career for a political game to which they may not be party.