The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party lambasted the aides of the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday for allegedly not making the governor return to the state since he returned to the country.
Akeredolu has since been at his private residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital after he returned from a medical vacation in Germany.
This has continued to generate reactions from different quarters.
In a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kennedy Peretei, the opposition party blamed the aides of the governor for his inability to return to the state for official duties.
In the statement titled “Akeredolu’s health: How much longer must I wait?” Peretei said the state was ill as the governor had yet to return to the state.
The statement read, “In the last few weeks, Ondo State has dominated front pages of national newspapers as well as discourse in broadcast media platforms for the wrong reason.
“Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, proceeded on a three-month medical leave, after which he returned to his private residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. What initially looked like a joke soon became a major embarrassment, as the state made history where the Chief Executive was missing in action.
“When Akeredolu was abroad for medical treatment, prayer sessions were held for his quick recovery not only by Muslim and Christian clerics but also by traditional rulers, politicians across political divide, not to talk of civil servants.
“That was the level of empathy the governor enjoyed. But as the days turned to weeks and weeks thinned into months, tongues are already wagging, everybody is now asking the same question, ‘Where is Akeredolu? Who is in charge of Ondo State?’:
The PDP also said the illness of the governor should not be an excuse for the alleged stagnation of the state, blaming the governor’s aide for this.
“Illness has confined Akeredolu to one place, that will not be the reason Ondo State must be on the same spot for nearly one year. History will be very unkind to those who are holding Akeredolu hostage, taking advantage of his inability to spread his wings.
“Those asking for Akeredolu’s whereabouts are not his enemies. His real enemies are those who portray him as greedily hanging on to the reins of government at the detriment of his personal health.
“At the fullness of time, all those constitutionally empowered to address this stagnation of affairs in our state but chose to keep quiet will all have a date with history. Ondo State is ill, just like Akeredolu and needs cure urgently. How much longer must I wait to see Akeredolu return to his duty post?” Peretei queried.
