Barely 24 hours after his inauguration, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, has visited President Bola Tinubu in Lagos, promising to pull the people to work together and move the state forward.
“I will pull everybody to work together and see how we can move the state forward,” he said during the visit late Thursday night.
Persecondnews reported that Aiyedatiwa had taken the oath of office following the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu after a prolonged battle with cancer and months of hospitalization in Germany.
He had earlier on Thursday led top government officials to pay a condolence visit to the wife of the deceased governor in Ibadan, Betty Akeredolu, where he promised to immortalize his former boss.
The governor told newsmen after the closed-door meeting with Tinubu:”I received advice and encouragement from the President to take charge and mobilise everybody in the state to continue with the business of governance.
“I thank President Tinubu for standing by us during the critical moment in our state. It’s no longer news what happened in the last six months in Ondo State that was in the news.
“Ondo State was practically in the news almost every day in the last six months, but all that has been put to rest now, and he stood by us as the President of the country.
“So I’m here to just thank him for being a father figure to the state, all his advice and the development right now and what we are looking forward to do in the days ahead.
“I visited the President to further brief him on the events that happened in our state; the loss of our governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and to also let him know that I have just been sworn in, because there can never be a vacuum, as the governor of Ondo State, being his former deputy.”
Persecondnews recalls that Akeredolu was the first sitting governor of the state to die in office and the fourth in the political annals of Nigeria.
Three others who died in office are Shehu Kangiwa of Sokoto (1981), Mamman Ali of Yobe (2009) and Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna (2012).
Earlier, Ogun Gov. Dapo Abiodun paid a condolence visit to the President to commiserate with him on the death of Akeredolu, who was the Chairman of the Southwest Governors Forum and the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum.
“Yesterday, we woke up with the breaking news of the passing of our senior colleague, who also was the chairman of the Southwest governors forum and the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
“I came to commiserate with Mr. President, knowing how close he was to Mr. President, how loyal he was and how supportive he was of Mr. President in the course of his journey to Aso Rock.
“I also took the opportunity to apprise him of our journey so far in Ogun state, how well we are doing, the fact that we are the most improved economy in Nigeria today, and one of the fastest growing economies in Nigeria today.
“And how well we are doing as a state and what we are poised to achieve and position to achieve in the new year.”
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