Despite being in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on Friday, vowed not to transmit power to his deputy governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi.
Akeredolu, however, maintained that he would be discharging his official duties and responsibilities from home where he is being isolated without any hindrance.
Speaking through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo, he said transmitting power to Ajayi would amount to setting the state and governance on fire.
Ojogo stated that the deputy governor has seized to be a member of the party and left governance in the state but only remain in government with no active role to play again.
According to him, COVID -19 should not be seen as a death sentence but a disease that can be managed and the governor is being attended to and responding to treatment while he continues to work for his isolation.
He said there is no need for transmitting power to any particular person when the governor is still active and can work from home.
Ojogo stated that the deputy governor has seized to be a member of the party and left governance in the state but only remain in government with no active role to play again.
According to him, COVID -19 should not be seen as a death sentence but a disease that can be managed and the governor is being attended to and responding to treatment while he continues to work for his isolation.
He said there is no need for transmitting power to any particular person when the governor is still active and can work from home.
Ojogo said “Mr Governor will not be advised to hand over to his deputy, it is not done because there is no reason for that.
“The deputy governor has since left our party and has since left governance, even though he has not left government.
“You cannot hand over the government to someone who has left governance, or handover the rein of government to someone who attempted to pull down the government.
“In any case, those of us in government and believe strongly in this government see the deputy governor as the greatest threat to good governance in Ondo state and you can’t attempt to handover to people like that. Agboola Ajayi is the greatest threat to this government.”
Ojogo, who recalled the political saga of 1983 in the state, said “I don’t know how we got into this and what we witnessed in 1983, the level of treachery that was deployed against late Adekunle Ajasin, except for those who have the opportunity to witness what we are seeing in Ondo state, one may be tempted to say that was the height or nothing could surpass level of treachery but what we are seeing today represents the fact that what Omoboriowo did in 1983 was a child play compare to what Agboola Ajayi is doing now.
“You don’t rock a boat that has taken you across the ocean, so it is a non-issue and we are not even considering handing over to Agboola Ajayi and I know as a matter of fact that no one who believes in good governance in the state will even advise Akeredolu to hand over to his deputy. What would be the compelling reason when governance is not grounded
“He has created an unusual scenario upon which he wanted to climb to his next political ladder and we have already seen as a misadventure, we cannot toy with what we have built over the years, we cannot risk it and attempt to hand over to someone who has exhibited a mindless level of betrayal and an unquestionable level of treachery.”
Ojogo also alleged that Ajayi is sponsoring some people to call for the transmission of power to him and said “this is not done and unthinkable, undebatable and if that is the reason he has been sponsoring write-ups to say there is likely to be a vacuum, the governor must hand over to him, he’s only joking.
“This is not going to happen because the governor is hale and hearty. COVID -19 is not a death sentence and the governor is strong enough to work and for the deputy to insinuate, incite or instigate people to be stirring the water to say that the governor should have over to him, confirms our fears in the last ten months that Agboola Ajayi has been striving to take over power through the backdoor and God will not allow him.”
But while reacting, Ajayi said he was not bothered by his former boss transmitting power to him or not, saying they have parted ways politically.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Babatope Okeowo, he said since the governor is not incapacitated, there is no need for the doctrine of necessity and would not be bothered.
He said “the constitution is so explicit about it that when the President or the Governor is incapacitated, the vice or the deputy takes over but in this case, the governor is not incapacitated. It is only when he is incapacitated that the doctrine of necessity will come into play.
“For now, there is no need for any anxiety about the governor’s state of health. He has said that he will been treating files while in isolation. That means governance won’t be affected.
“And you know the political situation in Ondo State now. Both the governor and the deputy governor are in different political camp, so we don’t expect it and we are not bothered about it because before now, the governor had sidelined the deputy governor in the day to day running of the activities of the government. There is nothing unusual in what he did.
“In the constitution, he ought to have transmitted letter but when you look at it from the political angle, the governor will not do it and we are not bothered. We are not bothered because we know we are in different political parties.
“So, since he is not incapacitated, there is no need for the doctrine of necessity and we are not bothered with that.”
He also said that “do you know that when Yar’Adua was sick he didn’t transmit letter giving power to Jonathan until the National Assembly invoked the doctrine of necessity to make him acting president.
“Even when President Buhari was sick, the Attorney General of the Federation said he can work from anywhere as President. The late Abba Kyari was the one taking files to him in London where he was recuperating.”