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Tag: Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu

  • Owo Massacre: Ondo Gov Confirms Arrest Of Five Suspects

    Owo Massacre: Ondo Gov Confirms Arrest Of Five Suspects

    Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of five suspected attackers of St Francis Catholic Church in the Owo area of the state.

    The governor’s confirmation comes shortly after the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor made the announcement in Abuja.

    The church came under attack on Sunday, June 5 while worshippers were observing mass. The incident left at least 40 people killed and several others injured.

    Two months after the massacre, Akeredolu disclosed that the owner of the house where the attackers stayed before the June 5 attack in Owo has also been arrested.

    He said that the state government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists since the horrendous attacks on innocent worshipers at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo.

    A statement from Richard Olatunde, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said Akeredolu spoke during a courtesy visit to his office by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by the Chairman of the Council, Prince Leke Adegbite.

    “Now that the military has announced it, I can tell you that five of them have been arrested now. They are still on the trail of the rest. The home where they lodged in Owo and the person that accommodated them before the attack, has also been arrested,” he was quoted as saying.

    “We did not spare a moment. I am happy that the Chief of Defence Staff has announced it. We have known for a while but we needed not to come out with it because more works are still ongoing. I can confirm that this arrest has been made. And they are still on the trail of some of them.”

    Governor Akeredolu has also called on leaders of the Ebira community in the state to warn their young ones not to copy the bad venture of kidnapping.

    According to him, recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.

    He noted that the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades, adding that they have always been supportive and hardworking.

    The governor stated, “I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping.

    “We are appealing to them not to copy bad things. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them.

    “We have seen their numbers, they supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare, talk to them. They were taken to Ebira farmsteads.

    “For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad things. They are in our midst, we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.”

    On the issue of Security, Governor Akeredolu disclosed that aside the recent recruitment and training of new Amotekun personnel, 20 hunters and local vigilantes will be trained by the Amotekun corps in each of the eighteen local government areas in the state.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the NUJ, Ondo State Council thanked the governor for his support for the management of OSRC and Owena Press PLC, adding that the upgrade of facilities in the two state-owned media outfits is commendable.

    He equally commended Akeredolu for the approval of the weigh-in allowance for journalists and information officers working in the State and Local government service.

  • Soyinka Visits Akeredolu, Says Owo Attack A Message To South West

    Soyinka Visits Akeredolu, Says Owo Attack A Message To South West

    Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described the attack on Owo as a message to the South West.

    Soyinka said this during his condolence visit to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Friday following the attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church on Sunday.

    “He was targeted and there is no question about that. It was not an accident, and it is passing a message to the rest of us,” Soyinka said according to a statement issued by the governor’s media aide Richard Olatunde.

    “That is why I’m here. I want the Governor to know that we have received the message. We understand it and we came to sympathize with him that he was selected as a medium for that message.

    “So, the answer we must give to the message we all received is that we are not slaves. Here, on our own soil, having had the experience of a century of disdain, and contempt about us as black people.”

    He said “some characters come along calling themselves whatever, ISWAP, Boko Haram. So, all those groups including those who are just opportunists – the herdsmen – are making a mistake. I want the Governor to realize they are making a mistake.

    “I have been on this issue for quite some time. This invasion has been on and these herdsmen are all over the forests. At a time we thought it was Boko Haram, we didn’t know that Fulani herdsmen were capitalising on the fundamentalist insurgency and brutality.

    “And that is why we see a nexus of operation between ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Fulani herdsmen. They work singularly, individually and they work collectively. I Know Ondo State has always been at the forefront of awareness.”

    On his part, the governor thanked Soyinka for the visit, saying that the state will remain hugely indebted to him.

    “It is a cause that he has dedicated his life to, and I thank God for his life. The state wants to appreciate you for finding time to come at this hour of grief.

    “This is like a dagger drawn to our heart, and it is an assault on our psyche. The psyche of those of us in the South-West and Western Region,” he said.

    “I think they think they can create some fears in us but they made a mistake because this will make us more fierce in our condemnation of their actions. And we are not hiding it.”

  • Owo killings: Rev. Pam condemns killings, morns with Gov. Akeredolu

    Owo killings: Rev. Pam condemns killings, morns with Gov. Akeredolu

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev Dr Yakubu Pam has condemned the killings of worshipers at Saint Francis Catholic Church , Owo, Ondo state on Sunday, 5th June, 2022.

    In a statement release signed by Head Media and Public Relations of the Commission, NCPC, Celestine Toruka in Abuja on Sunday, made available to Daybreak Rev. Pam described the killings of innocent worshippers as cowardly and inhuman.

    He said that the church would not be intimidated by the actions of few disgruntled elements in our society who are bent on destabilizing the peace of this nation.
    The NCPC boss urged security agencies to up their game by fishing out the perpetrators of this heinous and callous act.
    He equally commiserates with the Governor of Ondo state , Chief Rotimi Akeredolu and the good people of Ondo state over this monumental loss.
    He affirmed that light would certainly shine over forces of darkness no matter how long it takes.

  • Gov Akeredolu arrives Nigeria 24hrs after rumoured death, endorses wife’s Senatorial bid

    Gov Akeredolu arrives Nigeria 24hrs after rumoured death, endorses wife’s Senatorial bid

    Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has arrived in the country after a 14-day vacation in Germany, hours after his rumoured death.

    His first official assignment was to endorse his wife, Betty’s Senatorial aspiration to contest the Imo East Senatorial election in 2023.

    Rumour had it that the governor was sick and eventually passed on in the German hospital.

    But 24 hours after the rumour, the governor in a video posted by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde on his Facebook page showed the governor dancing and singing to prove to cynics that he is still alive.

    Olatunde wrote on his page that ” Ondo state Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, arrived at the International wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria at exactly 10:35pm on Sunday, April 17, 2022.”

    Few hours after his arrival in the country, the governor declared his support for his wife’s ambition in a statement he personally signed.

    Recall that the state opposition People’s Democratic Party had on Sunday alleged that the governor was using the state fund to sponsor the wife’s Senatorial ambition in Imo state.

    But in a subtle response, Akeredolu, in the statement, said he “believed in the mission of the First Lady to emancipate women from the shackles of all forms of oppression.

    He described her as “a fiercely independent personality who is never afraid to voice her dissent on any issue, l have witnessed her triumphs over adversities at close quarters.”

    In the statement, titled Public Service: ‘ The Greatest Privilege’, Akeredolu said: Betty, FLOOS, let me choose this great day in our lives, our 41st wedding Anniversary to notch up in print my support for your popular and known quest to serve your people in the Senate.

    “The evolution of modern societies bears indelible evidence of significant inputs of few people. This trajectory records definitive impacts of those who dare to think and act differently.

    “The consequence of this defiance finds expression in a radical departure from the old order, leading to transformation. It yields quality accretions that impact positively on the people in any given space.

    “The world owes those who dare a debt of gratitude for audacity, tenacity, consistency and focus. These torchbearers withstand the brunt of vilification, contempt, deprivation and even rejection. They remain undaunted until the set goal is achieved. They are rarely praised afterwards.

    “Public service is taken as the highest form of participation in the affairs of a human community, state or a country. It ennobles anyone, privileged to serve, whose tenacity, focus and integrity ensure development. Only a few are truly equipped for service. They must be encouraged at all times.

    “Anytime, anywhere and under whatever circumstances, those who hold views which threaten to shatter age-long widely held beliefs and/or practices are a special breed. Those whose activities have borne a positive impact on the lives of the under-privileged must be supported by all good people.

    “I join all other well-wishers, admirers, supporters and stakeholders to support, openly and without any reservations or equivocation, my Adorable Betty in her bid to continue to serve the people in her State of birth, Imo.

    “I do this, most enthusiastically, as a partner, admirer and active follower for over four decades. I consider myself highly privileged to have a workaholic, gender and human rights activist, humanist and philanthropist as wife, adviser, harshest critic, supporter, political associate and, above all, an unrelenting ideologue, ready to sacrifice and confront any obstacle, natural and artificial.

    “I am of the firm belief that any group, society, community, state or country, privileged to avail itself of the quintessential service of a bold crusader, as she, is lucky indeed.

    “Seeking to continue what she started long before I came into politics, when she ran for the House of Representative, at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, is not strange to me or anyone who has been watching the activities of this special personality.

    “I SUPPORT HER ASPIRATION NOW, AS I HAVE ALWAYS DONE, EVEN BEFORE I JOINED POLITICS. I know her to be a passionate believer in rectitude. I believe in her mission to emancipate women from the shackles of all forms of oppression.

    “I am proud of this gift from Imo State. I support her aspiration wholeheartedly. I am convinced that the people of Imo State will enjoy quality representation from her. Her presence in the Senate promises exciting moments.

    Akeredolu added that “I harbour no anxiety that my Adorable Betty, ADA OWERE, has all it takes to BEMORE. While offering her my unalloyed support, I wish her all the best in this current quest to extend and particularise the scope of service in the interest of the people.”

  • Ondo Poll: Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Akeredolu’s Validity To Contest APC Primaries

    Ondo Poll: Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Akeredolu’s Validity To Contest APC Primaries

    A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed a suit challenging the validity of the primary election that produced Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2020 election in Ondo State.

    In a judgment delivered by Justice Iyang Ekwo, the court held that the suit instituted by Olajumoke Anifowose was statute-barred having been filed outside the 14 days allowed by law for a pre-election matter.

    The plaintiff in the suit filed on her behalf by Adesina Oke, contended that section 87 of the electoral Act and article 20 of the APC Constitution were violated in the primaries by the state executive committee and local government committee that conducted the election.

    Anifiwoshe had prayed the court for an order declaring the primaries null and void and to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Rotimi Akeredolu as the governorship candidate of the APC in Ondo State.

    Justice Ekwo, while dismissing the suit, noted that Mr. Akeredolu was nominated by the APC on the 20th of July 2020 and the plaintiffs filed the suit on the 29th of the same month which fell within 14 days required by law but the suit became incompetent due to the withdrawal of the initial originating summons and its substitution on the 20th of August 2020.

  • Ondo people supported me because of my hard work – Akeredolu reacts to victory

    Ondo people supported me because of my hard work – Akeredolu reacts to victory

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has described his victory at the polls as a statement of the peoples’ assessment of his performance in the last three and a half years.

    According to the governor, the support he got from the people of the state was a reward for hard work, dedication and patriotism.

    Akeredolu in his acceptance speech said the victory was a renewal of his mandate.

    “The renewal of our mandate in this election is an eloquent testimony to the degree of acceptance by you, the good people of Ondo State.

    “It affirms that the confidence reposed in our Administration remains unshaken. It is a statement on your assessment of our performance in the last three and a half years. It is unequivocal, direct, inspiring and soul lifting.

    “It is awesome. It is a reward for hard work, dedication, focus, honesty and patriotism. It is also a challenge to us for rededication to service in the interest of our people. On this, we shall not relent.

    The governor added that “We set out on the first leg of this political adventure with the determination to make the whole State our constituency. We have not relented on our mission to bridge the huge infrastructural deficit inherited on assumption of office.”

  • BREAKING: Adojutelegan petitions APC over Akeredolu’s victory

    BREAKING: Adojutelegan petitions APC over Akeredolu’s victory

    A governorship aspirant in the just-concluded Ondo All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, Dr. Nathaniel Adojutelegan, has submitted a petition against emergence of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the flag bearer.

    The petitioner appeared before the nine-man Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe- led Appeal Committee at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja.

    The aspirant, who filed a two -page petition dated July 22 on Wednesday, challenged the outcome of the exercise, which returned Akeredolu.

    Adojutelegan alleged the primary fell short of the party’s constitution, guidelines, rules and regulations of the APC and electoral laws of the Federal Republic of Nigcria.

    Details shortly…