With the death of Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, former governor of Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko is now the only surviving past executive governor of the Sunshine State as all other past executive governors of the state since 1979 had gone to the great beyond – Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Elder Bamidele Olumilua ( both of the old Ondo State) passed on in 1997 and 2020 respectively, Chief Adebayo Adefarati died in 2007 while Dr Olusegun Agagu departed in 2013.

Aiyedatiwa, who hitherto battled political war against him while his erstwhile boss was on the sick bed, is expected to take up tasks from where his late boss stopped.

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There are many tasks before the new governor to be done, failure of which may be unhealthy for the state. Many believed that his first assignment was supposed to be the announcement of his deputy. But at the time of filing this report, Governor Aiyedatiwa was said to be busy making consultations on several political matters.

It was gathered that during his first visit, after being sworn in, to President Tinubu, in Lagos, last Thursday, Aiyedatiwa was said to have been advised by the former not to appoint a deputy governor yet until the APC in the state is organised and members are reconciled. It could be recalled that during the last crisis that lingered for months, Aiyedatiwa, reportedly fought against many party chieftains, Akeredolu’s aides and some members of the state House of Assembly. The party was said to have been divided over the matter, hence the advice of President Tinubu.

According to the source, the advice of the President may have prevented the governor from taking some action unilaterally without the consent of the party leaders and elders in the state.

“As it is now, he may not be able to dissolve the cabinet against the expectations of some people or sack any member of the cabinet for now but he is still consulting,” the source stated.

On the other hand, the source disclosed that pressure was mounting on the governor by some of his loyalists and associates, who are allegedly lobbying to be appointed in the new government.

They are expecting the governor to dissolve the entire cabinet of late Akeredolu to give room for fresh hands some of whom had allegedly been ‘starved’ by the Akeredolu administration. They believe it is now their turn to benefit from the new ‘cake’. The governor has to apply wisdom in order not to create more enemies for himself.

Before any possible dissolution of the cabinet, by the new administration, some members of the cabinet and some Akeredolu’s appointees had already quit the government.

Those who had tendered their resignation letters included, the Special Adviser to the Governor Akeredolu on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaye, and the Chief Press Secretary the late governor, Mr Richard Olatunde; the state Commissioner for Infrastructure Lands and Housing, Mr Aminu Raimi; the Special Assistant on Photography to the former governor, Mr Olawale Abolade, and the Senior Special Assistant to Akeredolu on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale.

Apart from these resignees, it was learned that some other aides of the former governor might drop their letter very soon. If they are not sacked, certainly, the governorship aspirants in the cabinet will voluntarily resign before the forthcoming primary of the party, coming up in April 2024.

Owing to this latest development, it could be observed that there have been alignment and realignment in the political space of the state as some chieftains of the APC had allegedly stepped up their lobby game to be considered in the new Aiyedatiwa’s administration. All these are said to be causing internal confusion in the party. But Aiyedatiwa, it was reliably gathered, would consider, first, those who stood by him during crises.

Already, it has been insinuated that the governor may appoint either the Chief of Staff to Akeredolu, Chief Olugbenga Ale or the state Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Razak Obe as the deputy governor. The duo were said to be at Aiyedatiwa’s side during his political travail. They were also from the two senatorial districts that would produce the deputy governor. While Ale is from the Northern senatorial district, Obe hailed from the Central senatorial district. The governor is from the southern senatorial district.

Another serious battle the governor would face is the party’s ticket ahead of the governorship election coming up later in the year as it was confirmed that he too has the ambition of becoming the next governor of the state.

Many believe that Aiyedatiwa faced the last crisis with some APC chieftains in the state due to his ambition of succeeding late Governor Akeredolu. Before things fell apart between them a video recently showed the deceased praising Aiyedatiwa for his support and loyalty and he (Akeredolu) promised to reciprocate the gesture, saying his deputy would continue from where he stopped.

Also, getting the APC ticket in the April primary may be a herculean task for Aiyedatiwa as there may be a gang up against him to prevent him from using his current position to win the ticket at the expense of other gladiators.

Another issue before the governor is that of the appointment of 18 caretaker local government chairmen and the 33 Local Council Development Areas, created by Akeredolu, who had been stopped by the court from operating. Those affected, are loyal to the late former governor, who appointed them but they are now jittery and confused as they don’t know what would become of their fate in the new Aiyedatiwa’s administration. Some of the loyalists of the new governor across the 18 local government areas of the state are also eyeing these positions. It is a big issue before the governor as he is raising loyalists across the state ahead of the forthcoming party’s primary.

Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, the immediate-past Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Daily Gazette recall that Ehie had on Sunday night resigned his position as Speaker and also vacated his seat as member representing Ahoada-East Constituency 2 in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

With this new appointment, Ehie replaced the former Chief of staff, Hon. Chidi Amadi, who is a kinsman to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Although the resolution signed by parties during the peace meeting held at the instance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recognised Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule as Speaker of the House, it did not include Ehie vacating his seat as a member of the House.

Chief Enyinnaya Abaribe, the lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial zone has called for an amendment to the Electoral Act.

Abaribe made this call in an interview on Channels Television on Sunday.

Recall that Former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the reworked Electoral Amendment bill into law on February 25, 2022.

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But Abaribe, a former Senate Minority Leader, said the act should be amended.

According to Senator Abaribe, the ‘human element’ should be removed from it.

Indigenous People of Biafra on Monday accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of deliberately sponsoring insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the Southeast region to use it as a reason for the continued detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

IPOB made the allegation in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.

It said the only way to save Nigeria and keep the country is for the government to release Kanu from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

IPOB also lambasted a civic group, Save Nigeria Movement (SNM) over what the pro-Biafran group described as “unguarded attacks and useless petition” against the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee Chairman, Obinna Aguocha, for calling for Kanu’s unconditional release from the detention”.

It said, “We the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are asking, how can charlatans form a group to save a dying nation and at the same time promote the demise of the same country through their display of ignorance?

“The Federal House of Representatives ad hoc Committee Chairman investigating the insecurity in some communities in Abia State, Hon. Obinna Aguocha called on the Nigerian Government and its compromised Security Agency, the DSS to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally from solitary confinement.

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“After much deliberation at the chambers on the level of insecurity throughout Nigeria with emphasis on the Southeastern Region, the ad-hoc Committee chairman gave the only solution to ending insecurity in the East as the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Hon. Aguocha is a stakeholder in the Southeast and knows exactly the root cause of the insecurity in the Southeast.

“But for the fact that the Nigerian Government is sponsoring insecurity as a reason to continue the illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, they will use their attack dogs like SNM to attack anyone who calls for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

“It is non-negotiable that the Nigerian government must obey the Appeal Court judgments that have discharged and acquitted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Should the government insist on the Supreme Court verdict, the eyes of the world are on the Nigeria Supreme Court to legalize the International Crime of extraordinary rendition,” Powerful stated.

He further said: “If indeed members of the SNM want to save Nigeria from going into oblivion, they ought to have advised the Nigerian government to obey their court judgements and orders.

“It will be absolutely impossible to save a nation that violates its citizen’s right to freedom and abuses the rule of law with reckless abandon.

“If indeed the members of SNM are serious in saving Nigeria, they should tell the Nigerian government to respect human rights and the rule of law.”

Powerful alleged that SNM is “bankrolled by the government to defend their dictatorship actions at a fee”.

“A bunch of individuals who fight the rule of law because of ethnic bigotry. Maybe this SNM are part of those sponsoring the insecurity in the Southeast, and that may be why they oppose the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. They know that their criminal ‘activism’ would end as soon as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released.

“Members of SNM should retract their unguarded statements and petition against Hon. Aguocha. Also, they should tell the Nigerian government to respect her own rule of law by releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally as the courts have declared. By doing so, SNM can save Nigeria if they wish,” IPOB said.