ONDO State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been sworn in, effectively making him begin his four-year tenure as the state leader.
Aiyedatiwa, who assumed office on December 27, 2023, after the passing of his principal, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, was elected on November 16, 2024.
Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 67, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. He was serving his second and final term.
Aiyedatiwa marked his swearing-in, which took place in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, February 24, with clemency, granting freedom and reducing sentences to 43 prisoners.
He ordered the release of eight convicts, commuted 15 death sentences to prison terms, and reduced the sentences of 20 others serving life terms.
The governor said that within the 14 months he had been in charge, his administration had made significant strides in agriculture, revenue generation, health, urban renewal, rural road construction, education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
“We have demonstrated commitment to the development and welfare of the people. Our dear Sunshine State has witnessed tremendous progress in infrastructural development, and provision of social amenities, while we have kept at the front burner the welfare of the people” he said.
The governor further assured the state of his commitment to work with interested investors and development partners in ensuring that the dream and vision of the founding fathers of the state become a reality.
“In the next four years, we will work with interested investors and our development partners to ensure that our Ondo becomes a reality. We will also facilitate investors to explore a large deposit of bitumen for local use and export purposes, thereby generating huge revenue for the state” he added.
He paid special tribute to his late boss – Akeredolu – for allowing him to serve as his deputy and for laying the foundation that paved the way for his emergence as governor.
While expressing gratitude to the people of the state and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ensuring a peaceful electoral process that produced him as the governor, Aiyedatiwa pledged to prioritise the welfare of the state’s people.
The ICIR reported that INEC declared Aiyedatiwa the winner of the November 2024 governorship election.
He polled 366,781 votes to defeat his main contender, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Agboola Ajayi, who garnered 117,845 votes.
Ajayi was deputy to the late Akeredolu between 2017 and 2021 before both leaders fell apart.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.