Lawyer: Akeredolu can rule from any part of Nigeria — he hasn’t breached constitution

Morakinyo Ogele, a legal practitioner, says Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, has not breached any part of the constitution in his governance of the state from Oyo.

Ogele said the continuous absence of Akeredolu from Akure, the Ondo capital, has no “adverse effects” on governance in the state.

BACKGROUND

In September, Akeredolu returned to Nigeria after a three-month medical leave in Germany.

The governor who landed in Ibadan, the Oyo capital, has since been working from the state.

However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other stakeholders in the state have repeatedly criticised the governor for working from Ibadan, demanding his resignation if he cannot return to Ondo.

Amid the governor’s absence, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, his deputy governor, has been battling moves by the state assembly to impeach him.

Recently, Doyin Odebowale, special adviser on special duty and strategy to Akeredolu, said the governor has not returned to the state due to accommodation challenges.

‘CONSTITUTION FAILED TO INDICATE WHETHER A GOVERNOR CAN OPERATE OUTSIDE HIS/HER STATE’

Speaking with journalists in Akure, Ogele said the constitution is silent on whether a governor can operate outside the state he or she was elected to serve.

The lawyer said there are no issues with the absence of Akeredolu from Ondo state.

“We are all human beings, and we are subject to the vis major, the act of God,” he said.

“No one is praying to God for the grace to be sick. But the moment you are sick, you just have to take care of yourself, either here in Nigeria or in other countries. So, as governor, he is subject to sickness.

“The constitution is very clear about the issue. Now that the governor is around, nobody has accused him of not performing his constitutional role.

“Section 189 of the Constitution is as clear as the summer sky. As of now, no one is complaining that the governor has not been performing.

“The moment he arrived, he signed the LCDAs bill into law, and the salary of workers is going on smoothly.

“It is one thing not to perform his constitutional roles; it is another thing that he is performing. If he cannot perform as governor, that is where the constitution comes in.

“There are lots of lacuna in our constitution. The constitution has not indicted any governor who is not within his state to perform his constitutional roles. That is why we need to amend our constitution.”