Ondo State’s government on Saturday urged the general public to ignore rumours that Rotimi Akeredolu, the state’s governor, had passed away.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, reaffirmed in a statement that the governor is still alive despite his indisposition.
Ademola-Olateju said, “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.
“Though the Governor has been indisposed, he has been attending to state matters and delegating functions to functionaries of the Government, when necessary.
“We enjoin the members of the public to ignore the rumour. Aketi is very much alive.”
In spite of this assurance, both the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed worries over Governor Akeredolu’s health.
Both parties questioned the governor’s medical condition’s confidentiality.
Stephen Adewale, the SDP’s state chairman, claimed that the people should be aware of the governor’s health, saying, “We strongly believe that the good people of Ondo State have the right to know about the medical conditions of Arakunrin Akeredolu.”
The spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party, Kennedy Peretei shared a similar sentiment, stating, “Those hiding the governor should tell the people where he is to save the state from speculation.”
He added that if the governor can no longer fulfil his responsibilities, he should hand over to the Deputy Governor.
Peretei concluded, “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.”
Ada Peter
