Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has expressed mixed emotions regarding his predecessor, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
While acknowledging his role in carrying forward Akeredolu’s legacy, Aiyedatiwa also voiced a personal wish that the former leader could have witnessed his rise to the governorship.
During a meeting with journalists and media executives in Akure on Thursday, Aiyedatiwa acknowledged Akeredolu’s influence, stating, “I was part of the legacies of my predecessor.”
The governor said, “I am proud to say I am a part of Akeredolu’s legacies. It has been his wish that I succeed him. He said it on our first day of inauguration. During our Exco meetings, he repeated it severally.
“I would have preferred he stayed back and watched me govern the state. I know he will be proud of me.”
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The governor stated that he had imbibed some qualities from the leadership style of his former boss which include fearlessness in addressing issues, adding that he and the late former governor were best of friends.
“I trained under Akeredolu. He was a man who always spoke his mind on national issues. He says his thoughts not minding his pursuit. When he speaks, the nation will be at attention. We imbibe his qualities on governance, “ he eulogised.
His claims come in the wake of a political battle that engulfed both men in the months before Akeredolu’s passing. The late governor it was beloved, was behind an impeachment plot against Aiyedatiwa who was then deputy governor by the Ondo State House of Assembly.
The political crisis said to have been triggered by Aiyedatiwa’s ambition to take over from Akeredolu festered until the late governor succumbed to his illness in faraway Germany.
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