There is tension amongst members of the Ondo State Executive Council over Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s alleged attempt to challenge Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the governorship seat following rumours of his ill health. Sources within the cabinet revealed that Akeredolu is now aware of the deputy governor’s alleged disloyalty and is playing safe at the moment. 
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State The source further told Daily Post that trouble began when Akeredolu went on vacation and left the deputy governor in charge of the governor’s office and he was alleged to have prioritised his personal interests over that of the state and the governor. Some members of the exco have also accused the deputy governor of spreading rumours about the governor’s health and death. The source said, “The deputy governor is behind all these circulating stories. What actually happened was that after the Cabinet meeting three weeks ago and the subsequent courtesy visits, the governor decided to take some time to rest. “The governor has been advised to deliberately spend quality time resting. So, the deputy governor went to Ibadan to visit him and brought along some files. However, he didn’t inform the governor or his close aides about his visit. Upon reaching Ibadan, the governor signed the files, which were then returned to him. But the governor didn’t wait to talk to the deputy governor. “When he returned to Akure, he started telling some of our associates that the governor should transfer power to him. He even attempted to persuade Exco members to support his position. “He deliberately initiated these rumours about the governor’s health to gain public sympathy and support. The deputy governor lied to us. It was only when we started contacting the governor ourselves that we learned the truth. “Just last Monday, the governor signed the May 2023 salary. The fact that the ministries are functioning should assure you that the governor is in charge and actively involved. At present, he is upset and pissed with these false stories.” Stating that the deputy governor already has cabinets, a government insider said, “If their attempt to remove the governor from office is successful, the deputy governor has promised a Commissioner that he will be his deputy. In addition, he promised to name another cabinet member as Secretary to the State Government. “Unfortunately, two Commissioners are competing for the position of deputy governor in Aiyedatiwa. In addition, a Special Adviser has sworn allegiance to the deputy governor as part of her plot to be nominated for the position of NDDC State Representative. “All of these people are currently allied with one another and pushing for the governor to delegate authority to the deputy.” “The governor and the deputy governor met last week, and the governor signed several documents, including the salary for the Local Government. Why would the deputy governor keep quiet while the media was reporting unfavourable things about his boss? We know he is responsible for them. “In truth, he was persuaded to make a statement disputing these false reports, but he chose not to. It is quite distressing to see such behaviour from a deputy governor who the governor personally hand pick. “In fact, he was urged to issue a statement refuting these fabricated stories, but he declined. It is truly disappointing to witness such behavior from someone who was handpicked by the governor and made deputy governor,” he said.
Ondo State Deputy governor, Luck Aiyedatiwa Reacting to the development, Aiyedatiwa’s Press Secretary, Kenneth Odusola, maintained that “this falsehood and its peddlers would have ordinarily been ignored at this time, but the need to halt further negative reports and rumours capable of creating needless tension in our state has necessitated this response. “The said allegation against the person of the deputy governor is a figment of the imagination of those behind it and their ungodly intentions to cause crisis in the State had been known for weeks and therefore such falsehood did not come as a surprise.”
This was announced by the Chairman of the Electoral Panel and Abia Governor-elect, Alex Otti on Saturday. Achonu, who previously represented Imo North Senatorial District, received 134 votes and defeated Maj.-Gen. Lincoln Ogunewe, who received 121 votes. The other contestants, including Martin Agbaso, Basil Maduka, Ibe Ike, Sam Amadi, retired Capt. David Mbamara, Kelechi Nwagwu, AIG Charles Agomuo, and Ndidi Anike, received a range of votes. Otti praised the delegates for their peaceful conduct during the exercise and commended the aspirants for their resilience. He urged all the aspirants to support the governorship candidate of the party, “so that together we can move as a team to win the trophy.” “All we want is a very strong Labour Party in Imo. Abia state does not want to be an orphan. So we plead with you to ensure that a brother governor emerges in the state come Nov. 11,” he stressed. 
The incident occurred in his Lagos home after he attended a meeting at the Labour Party headquarters in Abuja. According to a confidential source who spoke with The PUNCH, the car dealer passed away in Lagos on Friday evening, and his demise was unexpected. Humphrey Anumudu hailed from the Mbieri Ancient Kingdom in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. He was a business mogul and politician, who had been vying for the governorship seat in Imo State since 1998 until his demise. He was considered a billionaire and had reportedly won the governorship primary election under the Peoples Democratic Party in the state that same year. However, he later lost the ticket to Achike Udenwa who served as governor from 1999 to 2007. Since then, Anumudu had continued to contest for the governorship position. In 2019, he ran as the gubernatorial candidate for the Zenith Labour Party. He was a respected legal expert and served as the CEO of Globe Motors until his passing. 
Alexx Otti overtook the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okey Ahiwe, in the March 18 gubernatorial elections. According to the vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Mrs Oti, the LP candidate defeated his rival with 175,467 votes. This declaration from INEC comes after some residents and supporters of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia state, in their hundreds launched a protest in Umuahia against INEC asking them to declare Alex Otti as the winner The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidates pulled 88,529 votes, while Young Peoples’ Party (YPP) came third with 28,972 votes. This win is the Labour Party’s first victory in the 2023 election 
SDP governorship candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, came third with a total of 46,981 votes. The PDP governorship candidate won in all 23 local government areas of the State. The results are as follows: Total Registered Voters: 353,7190 Accredited voters: 496,852 A- 7,155 AA – 1,693 AAC – 386 ADC – 940 ADP – 925 APC – 95,274 APGA – 489 APM – 568 APP – 973 BP – 137 LP – 22,224 NNPP – 335 NRM – 2,258 PDP – 302,614 SDP – 46,981 YPP – 644 ZLP – 338 Total Valid Vote: 483,934 Total Rejected Vote: 10,670 Total Votes Cast: 494,604 
