…Endorses Wife’s Senatorial Bid
Twenty four hours after rumours if his demise made the rounds on social media, the Chairman of the South West Governor’s Forum and governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, returned to the country, after a 14-day vacation in Germany.
On arrival, his first official assignment was to endorse his wife, Betty Akeredolu’s senatorial aspiration to contest the Imo East senatorial election in 2023.
The rumour mill was agog with the news of his indisposition and subsequent passing on in a 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, was seen 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 opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had on Sunday alleged that the governor was using Ondo State fund to sponsor his wife’s senatorial ambition in Imo State.
But in a subtle response, Akeredolu, in the statement, said that 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 Representatives, 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.”
The chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, SGF, further 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.”
