ONDO State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has dissolved the state Executive Council and ordered all cabinet members to hand over to their respective permanent secretaries.
Chief press secretary (CPS) to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, January 24.
The governor also dismissed all senior special assistants (SSAs) and special assistants appointed by his late principal, Rotimi Akeredolu.
“All members of the cabinet are to immediately hand over to the permanent secretaries or the most senior administrative officers in their respective offices. Also, all senior special assistants (SSAs) and special assistants (SAs) are relieved of their duties with immediate effect.
“All the affected officials are directed to hand over all government properties in their possession,” the statement partly read.
On January 2, Aiyedatiwa ordered caretaker chairmen in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state to vacate office.
He directed them to hand over to the Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGAs) in all the LGAs/LCDAs.
Aiyedatiwa became governor in December 2023 after Akeredolu died of protracted prostate cancer.
Being Akeredolu’s deputy, Aiyedatiwa served in an acting capacity before his death and was sworn in as governor hours later.
Akeredolu’s long absence from Nigeria while attending to his health in Europe resulted in a feud between him and his deputy following the late governor’s insistence on retaining power despite being unable to function optimally.
Some Akeredolu’s aides tendered their resignation letters upon Aiyedatiwa’s assumption of office, with some citing loyalty to the late governor as the reason for their decision.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.