By Charles Titiloye
HOW I SAVED ONDO STATE FROM NEEDLESS CRISIS AFTER THE DEATH OF GOV. OLUWAROTIMI ODUNAYO AKEREDOLU SAN CON. —- SIR CHARLES TITILOYE SAN, FCArb, KSM, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ONDO STATE.
I was at the swear-in ceremony of the New Magistrate of Ondo State Judiciary on the 27th of December, 2023 when I received the message that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN has passed on. I was careful about acting on the information without proper confirmation in view of the several past propaganda alleging the death of my boss.
It became apparent that at that time, Ondo state was without a Governor and Hon. Lucky Ayedatiwa, the then Deputy Governor cannot in Law rely on the instrument of Acting Governor since the donor of the power is no more.
I briefed the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Hon. Justice Odusola about the development and left the Judiciary ceremony to say some prayers for the repose of the soul of my late boss.
My phone started ringing, the political scheming had started again!
I called the then Deputy Governor, Hon Lucky Ayedatiwa who informed me that he heard the news too and that he is careful given his experience of such fake news. He said he has not been able to confirm from the family and as soon as he confirms he gets back to me.
Former Gov. Oluwarotimi AKEREDOLU SAN made certain reforms in his Government to ensure that due processes and strict adherence to the constitution are followed always.
One of such step is to ensure that all swear-in ceremonies and inauguration of Public office holders in the state are supervised by the office of the Attorney General of the state.
Former Gov. AKEREDOLU SAN told me that I should never be distracted while performing such functions and keep to the rule of law. I should advise him regularly on procedural steps to take.
That was why I supervised all Swear in ceremonies and inauguration of Board members during his tenure as the Governor.
On that day, I received so many calls warning me not to proceed with the swear-in of the Deputy Governor. One of the callers insisted that the House of Assembly must seat, and pass a resolution supported by a two-thirds majority of members calling the Chief Judge to swear in the Deputy Governor as the Governor. I was threatened to be careful and not drag myself into the issue of the hot leadership contest in Ondo state. I was asked to officially delay the Swear-in ceremony for another 24 hours!
Politics can be funny but adherence to the rule of Law is different from politics, the constitution that I read did not give the House of Assembly any role to play in the Swear in of Deputy Governor as Governor of the state whenever the Governor passed away.
Another official caller said the Commissioner of Information has not yet announced the death of the Governor and the Attorney General must not take any step without a formal announcement of the demise of the Governor.
The then Deputy Governor, Hon. Ayedatiwa called me to inform me that he has now officially confirmed from the family and the Federal Government on the death of the Governor and I should take all legal steps as the Chief law officer of the state to ensure the constitution is adhered to strictly and there should not be break down of law and order. I requested him to stand by for immediate swearing-in as the Governor and he told me that he was in Igbokoda for the Christmas holiday. I urge him to return to Akure the state capital immediately.
I called the Chief Judge to prepare for the swear-in ceremony and he told me that he had been contacted and that he could only perform the function after the commissioner of Information confirms the death of the Governor and he receives correspondence from the House of Assembly in respect of their plenary sitting asking him to swear in the Deputy Governor.
The situation was getting messy and complicated every minute. To avoid further mischief on this Matter, I called the Commissioner of Information and she said she has already prepared her press statement and she will release it shortly.
I was constrained from moving around that day in view of the sudden disappearance of my Police orderly, not minding the security risk and I moved to the House of Assembly to see the Hon. Speaker.
I was joined at the House of Assembly by Hon. (Bar.) Jibayo Adeyeye. The speaker was well disposed to my position on the constitutional impasse noting that there is no need for the House of Assembly to sit to pass a resolution.
The Speaker called some Principal members of the house and we agreed that he should prepare a letter to the Chief Judge on behalf of the House of Assembly on the need to swear in a Deputy Governor in order to avert anarchy in the State. I requested the Speaker and Clerk to follow me to
Office of Chief Judge with the letter which they obliged me.
The Chief Judge having received the correspondence from the House of Assembly and the Hon. Speaker urging him to proceed with the Swear-in ceremony of the Deputy Governor gave his consent and prepared for the ceremony.
The issue of the oath book came up, and I moved to the cabinet office of the Governor’s office to request the oath book for Swear in of the Deputy Governor as the Governor.
I was told that the Permanent Secretary Cabinet was on leave and he was the only one who could direct the oath book to be released to me. I called him on the phone immediately and he directed his officers to cooperate with me.
We prepared the oath book for the Swear-in ceremony and I issued a statement for the immediate swear-in of the Deputy Governor as the Governor to members of the State Executive Council and the General Public.
I made it clear that the occasion should be solemnly observed in Honour of our Late boss Oluwarotimi AKEREDOLU SAN CON who worked diligently for the state and all his life stood for the rule of law.
I must say here that my Boss OLUWAROTIMI AKEREDOLU SAN CON is a special gem in terms of leadership. He encouraged and mentored me to always take steps in tandem with the rule of law. He sometimes feared for my safety but prayed always that God would always keep me safe.
I thank God for the opportunity given to me to serve and save our darling state from the political impasse, constitutional anarchy and possible crisis after the demise of Former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN. Sometimes it takes courage and fear of God to succeed in Public office.
I supervised a smooth handover of power to Gov. Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa to ensure our state is in peace and respected in the comity of States in Nigeria. This singular act of peaceful transition was commended nationwide.
May the soul of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN continue to rest in perfect peace. Amen.
Signed.
Sir Charles Titiloye SAN KSM, Former Attorney General of Ondo State.
