The family of the late Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the current state government led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa are at odds over plans to commemorate the first anniversary of the former governor’s passing with a memorial lecture. Akeredolu died on December 26th of last year.
Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of the late governor, took to social media to accuse Governor Aiyedatiwa of being deceptive about the planned lecture and attempting to “rubbish” her late husband’s legacy. “Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway,” she wrote. She further alleged that the governor sees anyone close to her and the late governor as an enemy.
According to a source close to the Akeredolu family, they had been planning the first memorial for the past five months and had sent an invitation to the governor. However, Governor Aiyedatiwa apparently did not inform the family of his own plans to hold a separate event on the same day in the state capital.
“Any right thinking person should understand that the greatest legacy Aketi left behind is his family,” the source stated. “You can’t continue to rubbish his family and treat them as enemies, yet you claimed you are honoring his memory.”
Despite the opposition from the late governor’s wife, the state government is insisting that their memorial lecture will proceed as planned. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, posted on Facebook encouraging people to attend, along with a flier for the event. Jingles advertising the lecture have also been aired on broadcast media.
