Akeredolu Sacks All Deputy Governor’s Media Aides

•Aiyedatiwa denies alleged rift with principal

Fidelis David in Akure

Amidst alleged rift between the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his boss, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who just returned from Germany, where he went for medical leave, the governor, yesterday, disbanded the media crew attached to the office of his deputy.

This, nonetheless, Aiyedatiwa, yesterday, clarified that there was no rift between him and Akeredolu.

A statement yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Richard Olatunde, noted that all media aides appointed by Akeredolu and seconded to the office of the deputy governor, had been relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.

The affected aides include the Press Secretary to the Governor, Kenneth Odusola; Special Assistant to Governor (New Media) Okunniga Oladipupo; and Special Assistant to the Governor (Photography) Abayomi Samson Adefolalu.

The statement read: “They are to submit all government properties in their possession to the Acting Permanent Secretary, Office of the deputy Governor. Similarly, the Press Crew attached to the office of the deputy governor has been disbanded.

“Consequently, all members of the Press Crew are to report back to their various ministries and stations.”

Equally, Akeredolu directed the ministry of Information and Orientation to provide adequate coverage for the activities of the deputy’s governor office henceforth.

But Aiyedatiwa, in a statement by his Press Secretary, Kenneth Odusola-Stevenson, said stories being circulated by some faceless individuals and groups were aimed at denting his reputation.

“The lies would have been ignored but I owe it a duty to prevent the public from being deceived into believing the same falsehoods being repeated and recycled in different forms by those whose sole intention is to soil the image of the man, who they see as a threat to their political interests.

“These faceless individuals, who have been hiding their identities because what they are putting out are pure fabrications, are being sponsored by those who are threatened by the profile of the Deputy Governor, his relationship with his boss, and the goodwill he enjoys with the people.

“There is a need to remind the public that this is a continuation of the blackmail started by these same characters some months ago, with false stories planted in some media outlets against the Deputy Governor.

“However, since those lies did not yield the result they envisaged, the blackmailers have returned with fake stories about disloyalty, aimed at causing disaffection between him and the governor,” the deputy governor said.