Lucky Aiyedatiwa takes oath of office as Ondo Governor

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Acting Governor of Ondo State, has been sworn in as the Sunshine State governor.

At 5:18 p.m., the chief judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, administered the oath of office at the Cocoa Conference Hall at the governor’s office in Akure, the state capital.

“It is with a heavy heart that I accept this honorous responsibility of taking over the reins of governance and affairs of our state after the unfortunate loss and passing of our beloved governor and leader and my dear principal arakurin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu,” Aiyedatiwa said in his opening remarks as the number one citizen of the state,

Other judges and top government officials, including the secretary to the state government and members of the state cabinet, the state All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman and members of the state house of assembly, were there to witness the swearing-in.

His inauguration came shortly after the death of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu earlier that day.

Aiyedatiwa’s journey to become governor of Ondo State lasted a year, as Akeredolu faced health issues before succumbing to the talons of death on Wednesday in faraway Germany, where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

Aiyedatiwa escaped an impeachment plan hatched by Akeredolu’s allies in the Ondo State House of Assembly, as well as fierce opposition from his late principal’s foot soldiers.

Controversy has engulfed state politics in recent months, with campaigners and constitutional lawyers urging Akeredolu to hand over control to Aiyedatiwa in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.

Akeredolu was in and out of hospitals around the world before passing away on December 27, 2023.

Finally, Akeredolu, a second-term governor before his death, handed over authority to Aiyedatiwa on December 13, 2023, as he left on his second international medical vacation in 2023.

Akeredolu, 67, was unable to return to Nigeria because of difficulties from prostate cancer.