By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Government of Ondo State, South West Nigeria on Saturday dispelled rumours on the purported death of the Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, calling on Nigerians to ignore the news.
There were speculations that the governor who had not been sighted in public functions in recent times passed away on Saturday morning, a rumour the state says is unfounded.
Denying the rumour, the Commissioner in charge of Information and Orientation in the state, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, in a statement said the information is a “wicked fabrication”, noting that the governor has been delegating assignments to officials when necessary.
“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”, the statement read in part.
The opposition parties, Social Democratic Party and the People’s Democratic Party, have raised concerns over the governor’s health.
While the SDP, state chairman, Stephen Adewale kicked against the secrecy of the health conditions of the governor, the spokesperson for the People’s Democratic Party, Kennedy Peretei, said the governor’s whereabouts should not be a secret.
Adewale said that ”There are now serious doubts about Governor Akeredolu’s capacity to continue to govern the Sunshine State as his medical conditions remain shrouded in secrecy.
“It is quite disturbing that the state of the governor’s health has become a topic of state curiosity and concern.
”This situation continues to undermine the ability of the State government to fulfil its obligations and commitments, including those requiring the government to provide economic pathways to millions of people facing absolute poverty and uncertainty in the Sunshine State due to the reckless and insensitive removal of subsidy by the APC-led federal government.
“Ondo SDP call on Arakunrin to respect the good people of Ondo State who have voted for him twice by presenting his medical records to the general public.
“We strongly believe that the good people of Ondo State have the right to know about the medical conditions of Arakunrin Akeredolu.”
PDP’s Peretei, in a statement, said that ”those hiding the governor should tell the people where he is to save the state from speculation.
