14 Years After, Akeredolu’s Call For Yar’Adua’s Resignation Haunts Him

A former Special Adviser to late ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua, Olusegun Adeniyi, recently reacted to the controversy around the health of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Naija News understands that Akeredolu is currently outside the for the second time this year for medical leave.

Adeniyi, in a recent article published by ThisDay, said, “We always know the right thing for others to do until we are confronted with a similar challenge.”

The former presidential aide referred to a time Akeredolu called on Yar’Adua to resign from office over his state of health.

Akeredolu, who was the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 2009, at different times called for the resignation of critically ill Yar’Adua, who spent months abroad receiving treatment.

At a valedictory session held in honour of the then-retiring President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umar Abdullahi, on December 4, 2009, Akeredolu maintained that Nigeria was on the edge of a precipice due to Yar’Adua’s incapacitation and called for his resignation.

Akeredolu, who was represented by the then NBA Public Relations Officer, Mr Ikeheazor Akaraiwe, said, “This country is nearer to a state of collapse, and we cannot afford to be left in the grip of the rumour industry, which is the most thriving sector at present.

“Nigerians deserve to know the true state of things. If our President is not capable of performing his duties anymore, it will be better for him to resign as it will not be difficult to find a successor for him as provided by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.”

On another occasion, Akeredolu, in a direct swipe at Yar’Adua, said the love to serve the nation should not be at the detriment of its leader’s health, noting that “the prayer of the association is that the President should recover fast, return to his office, and resign.”

About 14 years after, Akeredolu now finds himself in a similar state to Yar’Adua was.

Akeredolu has been out of office at least since June 2023, when he officially transferred power to his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and proceeded on a 21-day medical leave abroad.

The leave, which was supposed to end on July 6, 2023, was later extended indefinitely as the governor continued to receive treatment in Germany.

He later returned to Nigeria on September 6 and resumed at his private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, to recuperate amid a lingering crisis bordering on governance far away in Ondo.

On December 11, Akeredolu wrote to the state Assembly that he was proceeding on another medical leave.

Although he handed over to his deputy, many have argued he should have resigned instead of transmitting power to Aiyedatiwa in an acting capacity, especially given his stance during the late Yar’Adua’s health crisis.

Adeniyi wrote, “I commend Akeredolu for taking the path of law and public decency by yielding power to his deputy so that he can attend to his health. But he must also have learnt a few lessons in recent months.

“One, in public engagement, empathy is important when we make a point on issues that touch on the health of another person….When we are in a position of power and are vulnerable due to ill health, we become pawns for political merchants, including those we imagine are on our side…it is important to state that while Akeredolu may have ‘stepped aside’, the political crisis in Ondo State has only just begun.”