Amid the tension in Ondo over the continued absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from official duties, an elder statesman, Edwin Clark, has asked President Bola Tinubu to adopt the “doctrine of necessity” as a solution to the current political impasse in the state.
In a letter written to Mr Tinubu on Sunday following the massive call for protest against the ailing governor, Mr Clark said the president should urgently intervene in the constitutional crisis in Ondo by declaring the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to take over the reign of governance in “acting capacity” in the absence of Mr Akeredolu, who is battling ill-health.
The elder statesman, who likened the current situation in Ondo with that of late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was also sick and flown outside the country to Saudi Arabia for treatment and refused to hand over to his then Vice, Goodluck Jonathan, told Mr Tinubu that the crisis in the state is brewing much tension rather than abating.
“Mr President, I wish to state that we have enough insecurity in the country, which has largely stretched our security forces. This is why you must urgently and firmly act in the current situation in Ondo State under a doctrine of necessity.
“Let me add that beyond any constitutional provision and your leadership of your political party, the APC, it is Your Excellency’s moral obligation as father of the country to use your good office to intervene and resolve all manners of political crisis around the country,” an excerpt from the letter read.
Mr Clerk’s letter to Mr Tinubu is coming barely a few weeks after the President met with political actors in Ondo to resolve the political crisis in the state.
Mr Tinubu’s meeting, which resolved that the “status quo” be maintained amid calls for Mr Akeredolu’s resignation from office, yielded no impact as cabinet members continued with powerplay within the government.
Critics and members of the opposition party have continued to emphasise that the governor’s absence was creating a vacuum in the governance of the state, agreeing that power should be handed over to Mr Aiyedatiwa to continue the government.