The image handlers of the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, have shared a telling photo......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
The image features the Governor and Professor Oluwole Akeredolu in a tête-à-tête.
Professor Akeredolu is the head of the family of the immediate past Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who passed away in office after a prolonged illness in December 2023.
The picture was taken at the latest edition of the monthly Praise Night with Mr. Governor.
The event was held at the International Culture and Events Centre (The DOME) in Akure on Friday, November 29, 2024.
The development is a rare occurrence against the backdrop of recent happenings in Ondo State politics.
It has sparked narratives of “ongoing fence-mending” in various quarters.
The Governor has been at odds with the hardcore loyalists of his predecessor since his time as Deputy Governor.
His ascension to the position of Acting Governor (while Akeredolu underwent care), swearing-in as Governor (after his principal’s demise), and victory in the Saturday, November 16, 2024, Ondo State gubernatorial election have kept him at loggerheads with the late Governor’s political structure and family members, especially those sympathetic to Akeredolu’s widow, Betty—on the wings of issues rooted in the period his predecessor battled illness.
The face-off was so intense that Aiyedatiwa’s attempts to secure validation using Akeredolu’s name and goodwill were severely rebuffed.
Friday’s “open meeting” between Aiyedatiwa and the head of the Akeredolu family—and brother to the late Governor—at an event organized by the state government is the first such encounter in months.
The tête-à-tête between Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Oluwole Akeredolu was witnessed by Pastor Mike Ogunbayode, who was also captured in the photo, according to the narrative provided by the Governor’s reputation managers.